


The Saga of Eagle and Lion

by LittlebutFiery, paradox_thought16



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, F!Byleth, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Like seriously this starts with spoilers, M!Byleth - Freeform, More tags to be added, Multi, Post-Time Skip, Pre-Time Skip, Primarily focused on Black Eagles and Blue Lions (although the Golden Deer are important too), Rating May Change, Romance, Third Person Semi-Omniscient, Twin Byleths, Work In Progress, no beta we die like men, spoilers for all routes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2020-09-30 11:34:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 60,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20446475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittlebutFiery/pseuds/LittlebutFiery, https://archiveofourown.org/users/paradox_thought16/pseuds/paradox_thought16
Summary: Aloysia and Byleth Eisner were close, even for twins - whether training, fighting, or teaching, they did it all together.Waking up after five years to find themselves separated by war wasn’t quite what they had planned, and it will take all they have to pull everything together again.A fix-it AU that brings all four paths together in a full retelling that asks the question “What if both sides had their professor to guide them?”





	1. The Dead Among the Living

**Part One: Alabaster Dusk**

**The Dead Among the Living**

_ Wyvern Moon, 1159 _

Flames licked Jeralt’s armor as he ran to the reception hall. Students and faculty were gathered in groups around the room, many shivering in their thin nightclothes. He kept running until he saw the shine of green through the crowd: Rhea. 

His mind flashed back to learning the news of his wife’s death, grief still strong in his heart, and he prepared for the greatest performance of his life. 

“Rhea! Your Grace!” Jeralt slid to a stop in front of her, panting, hands braced on his knees. A gentle but firm hand on his shoulder let him know he was heard, and he made sure he had conjured tears for his wife before he looked up. “I went to the kitchen to get more milk...they were asleep…Rhea, the fire…”

Jeralt collapsed to his knees. Adrenaline made him shiver as tears streamed down his face through the babbling he himself couldn’t even make sense of. He still managed to make out Rhea’s shouts for people to search the area of his room. Prioritize it. Get that area put out no matter what. 

She dropped to her knees beside him. “We’ll find them, Jeralt. We’ll find them.”

As she pulled him to her chest, mumbling soothing words and rocking them back and forth, he thought bitterly that all her actions were more to soothe her own anxieties than his well-practiced ones, but he couldn’t show that now. Instead, he clung to her, somehow holding still when all he wanted to do was reject her touch and run. 

A soldier returned. “We need more men, Your Grace. The whole place is up in a blaze. Nothing we do is weakening it.”

That was his cue. Jeralt shot to his feet, eyes bloodshot, giving him the look of a man possessed. He took a deep breath, summoning the words he’d been practicing for days. He was no actor, but he couldn’t afford to fail — this would make or break the plan. 

“No! You have to save them! They’re all I have left of her!” Before anyone could say a word, he took off out of the room, Rhea close behind.

Most of the soldiers fighting the blaze had sense enough to stay out of their way, but one stopped them as they neared the living quarters. Jeralt kept up his act, barking, “Soldier, let me through this instant! My children are in there!”

“Captain Jeralt! I’m sorry, but I can’t. Your children, they couldn’t have—” The soldier’s words were cut off by a dagger at his throat. 

“Don’t say another word.” Jeralt’s tone left no room for argument. “Let me through.”

“Do what he says,” Rhea added, her usual serene facade abandoned. There was a sharp edge to her voice and a dark look in her eyes.

The soldier began to step to the side as there was a deafening _ crack_. They looked up in horror, shielding their faces against the heat, as the roof caved before collapsing entirely.

A piercing wail split the night, louder than even the roar of the flames. Jeralt sunk to his knees and buried his face in his hands as Rhea howled her grief.

The soldier put a comforting hand on Jeralt’s shoulder, but Jeralt needed no such kindness. It was not his sorrow he sought to hide, but his triumph.

Soon they would be free.

* * *

It was nearly dawn before the inferno died, leaving smoldering rubble in its wake. The thick silence smothered all but the last few pops from the ashes as two lonely figures sat unmoving near the building’s remains. The soldiers had left them long ago to let them grieve. 

For the first time in hours, Jeralt moved, shifting to better look at the cloudy sky. “I can’t stay here, Rhea.”

Rhea turned towards him, her face reddened from tears. “Where will you go?”

“I don’t know. Not here,” Jeralt shook his head. “First Sitri, and now the twins...I’ve lost too much here.”

“I understand. Please know that should you wish to return, there will always be a place for you at Garreg Mach, my friend.”

The two stood, watching the smoke continue to curl to the clouds. Jeralt took one last look around the monastery he’d once loved, preserving it in his mind’s eye, before turning to leave. Just as he had reached his exit to the rest of the world, a hand wrapped around his wrist. 

“Jeralt, wait,” Rhea said, eyes holding a sadness Jeralt didn’t expect. “Please remember, the grief you feel for them is one I will always share with you. I cared for the twins and Sitri as well.” 

Slowly sliding his wrist from her grip, Jeralt walked forward through the gate. “The dead aren’t meant to walk among the living, Rhea. Maybe we'll meet again in a different time.” 

“Poor Alois will be distraught to learn of your passing in the fire,” Rhea said. “All of the soldiers will be. It is always hard to learn of a mentor’s death.”

“But they’ll all keep moving. A soldier’s job is never done.” Jeralt took a breath and remained facing away. “Farewell, Rhea. May the goddess continue to bless this place.”

With that, the gate shut behind him, and he was gone. 

* * *

It was nightfall when Jeralt knocked on the town doctor’s door. He made sure to lean hard on the branch he had procured, lest his identity be revealed and the entire plan ruined.

The doctor’s wife, Mary, opened the door, peering curiously at him until she saw through his disguise. “Captain Jeralt! We were getting worried.”

She quickly ushered him inside, closing and bolting the door behind her. In the living room, looking out of place among the rest of the furniture, was an old crib, two babies sleeping inside it.

“They’ve been little angels,” Mary said, smiling fondly at the twins. “They’ve slept this whole time.”

“Thank you for everything,” Jeralt said, bowing out of habit. “It means a lot to me, knowing I have someone I can still trust.”

“Still trust?”

Jeralt turned to see the doctor leaning against the doorframe. “Hey, Doc. Sorry to keep you up.”

“Save it, Jeralt. I don’t want any apologies,” the man said, then sighed. “What I _ want _ is for you to tell us what’s going on.”

“I’ll tell you what I can, but it won’t be much,” Jeralt huffed.

Mary chuckled. “It never is, though, is it?”

Her laughter stopped when she saw Jeralt’s grimace. The air in the room suddenly felt tense, and Mary gave her husband a concerned look. He returned it with one of equal concern. 

“Jeralt?” Mary asked, voice low with worry. “What’s going on? Please tell us something, at least.”

Jeralt sighed. “My family’s in danger. We can’t stay here and won’t be returning. It’s safest if everyone thinks we’re dead.”

Mary’s eyes widened. “Danger? What do you mean? Who would want to hurt you or the twins? Can we do nothing to help?” 

“You’ve done more than enough. I can’t ask you for any more,” Jeralt shook his head.

“We’re your friends. It’s what we’re here for!” Mary insisted. “Right, Roger?”

“Hm?” The doctor startled out of his thoughts. “Yes, of course we’re friends. That’s why you’ll take the horse when you go.”

“I couldn’t.” 

Mary clapped her hands with a smile. “It’s settled! You’ll take good ole’ Willow! She’ll take good care of you three.”

“I know when I’ve lost,” Jeralt sighed, scratching his head. “But...how could I ever repay you for this?”

Roger grinned wide. “Well! You could certainly start with—”

“Not now, Roger!” Mary admonished. Her husband sighed good-naturedly.

“I’m joking, Mary.” Roger laughed once more then fixed Jeralt with a stern look. “You can repay us by keeping yourself and those kids of yours safe and healthy. I mean it. You never know when you’ll actually find another quality doctor.”

Jeralt and Roger exchanged grins while Mary just shook her head. “Are you two just going to keep standing there grinning, or are we going to get these three packed for their journey?”

Shrugging, the two men got moving. The three worked for the next few hours to collect supplies, packing food and necessities then saddling the horse. Once everything was ready, Mary went over to Jeralt with what he thought was simply two long bolts of fabric. As she began to wrap him up in it, he finally asked, “Mary, I’m not sure I’ll be any good in a fight while wearing this.”

“_Fight?_” Mary sounded scandalized. Jeralt was baffled, blinking at her in surprise. When he stayed silent, she continued. “I sure hope you aren’t fighting while carrying the babies!”

A rare instance of panic gripped Jeralt, his chest feeling tight as he looked at his children, content in their sleep. He looked back at Mary, knowing he must be wearing his fears. “But...how will I fight? How will I keep them safe?”

Mary gave him a warm smile and placed her hand on his shoulder. “You keep them safe by keeping them close to here,” Mary said, poking his chest. “_And _ by being smart and _ careful_. What’s most important is to remember you have more than yourself you’re taking care of now.”

“I know being smart and careful are hard for you, but I think you’ll manage,” Roger chuckled. He clasped Jeralt’s hand in his own, growing serious. “Take care of yourself and the twins. Goddess willing, we’ll see the three of you again someday.”

As the men spoke, Mary came over holding a bundled little girl in her arms. She placed her into one half of the wrap on Jeralt’s chest, kissing her head and saying, “Grow up safe and strong, Aloysia. And make sure to take care of these two men, okay? They’ll need a smart girl like you to keep them in line.”

Seconds later, Mary was back with a little boy. “You too, Byleth,” she said, kissing his head as well. “But be nice to your sister, you hear me?”

Jeralt chuckled as Byleth was slipped into the other half of the wrap. “I have a feeling they’ll get along just fine.” He placed a hand on each, hoping to keep them asleep for just a while longer. 

“I think it’s time, you two,” he said. Even he wasn’t sure who he aimed his words at. “We’d best be off.”

Mary stood on her toes to press a kiss to Jeralt’s cheek. “Be safe, Jeralt. And Goddess watch over you.”

The trio stayed quiet as they crept into the night. Jeralt quickly mounted the horse, tightening everything accordingly, before looking to his friends. With one last smile, he gave a kick and the Eisner family vanished into the night.


	2. Noble Blood

**Part One: Alabaster Dusk**

**Noble Blood**

_ Great Tree Moon, 1180 _

_ “It is almost...time to...begin…” _

“Hey, you two. It’s time to wake up.”

Byleth groaned, rolling over and pulling his blanket up higher. “Five more minutes, Father.”

Aloysia sat up, rubbing her eyes. “What time is it?”

“It’s close to dawn. We’re leaving for the Kingdom at daybreak. If you want something to eat before we leave, you’d best get up,” Jeralt said.

“Okay. Mm-hm. Sure. Be there in a minute,” Aloysia said as she stretched and stood up. 

Jeralt’s gaze followed her as she shuffled across the room. “So, you aren’t going to climb on top of your brother and fall right back to sleep?”

“Of course not,” Aloysia said, climbing onto Byleth’s bed and plopping down on top of her grumbling brother. “What would give you that idea?”

“Only the two or three hundred times I’ve seen you do it before,” Jeralt teased affectionately. “Well, if either of you want food, you can choose to get moving. Otherwise, there’s always the horse feed to snack on.”

As Jeralt left, shutting the door behind him, Aloysia heard a muffled, “Get off,” from the pile of pillows on the bed. 

Aloysia listened for unexpected visitors for a few more seconds then rolled to the other side of the bed, yanking away the pillow that somehow wasn’t suffocating Byleth. “Did you have the dream again? But was it...different?”

Byleth snatched the pillow back, covering his face with it once more. “The one with the creepy girl? Yes. She talked this time.”

“Yes. She spoke. But did you see me there? I saw you. I _ heard you._” When Aloysia only got a grunt in response, she sighed and took the pillow back. She then threw it across the room, out of reach, and began her morning routine, ignoring her brother’s glare. “Fine. We don’t have to talk. But if you don’t get up, dad’s going to kick your ass in training.”

“Dad’s too old to kick anyone’s ass in training,” Byleth huffed, reluctantly sitting up.

“Uh-huh,” Aloysia said. She threw her jacket around her shoulders and tossed Byleth’s to him. “I’ll make sure to mention that during training later, then.”

The door banged open, revealing Jeralt. His previous calm was replaced with urgency as he said, “You’ll have to mention whatever it was later. We have a problem. Let’s go.”

The twins looked at each other, a flit of worry passing between them, and quickly followed. Their father lead them outside and up to three finely-dressed teenagers. 

_ Nobles. _

This was even more concerning. Their group tended to avoid working for nobles — Jeralt tended to complain about nobles’ fondness for intrigue, backstabbing, and “other nonsense.” 

Despite their confusion, they joined their father to learn what was happening. Byleth took his place on their father’s right and Aloysia on his left, with her standing slightly closer to be up against Jeralt’s shoulder. 

The twins quickly appraised the young nobles. Years of dealing with unsavory characters had taught them to be wary of strangers, regardless of outward appearance. There had been many times in the past that their sharp gazes picked up on danger before the others, but not this time — aside from noticing the distinct colors they wore, the twins couldn’t get a read on these three.

The blond in blue in the middle of the group bowed as he said, “Please forgive our intrusion. We wouldn’t bother you were the situation not dire.” 

Jeralt immediately took charge. “What do a group of kids want at this hour?”

“We’re being pursued by a group of bandits. I can only hope you will be so kind as to lend your support.” 

Aloysia shot a look at Byleth. This one certainly knew his way with words. Very elevated language, though. _ Must be from a very high-ranking family, _they thought. 

“Bandits? Here?” Jeralt demanded. “What would they want with a farming town?”

“It’s true,” the trio’s only female member said. She exuded an air of cool confidence as she spoke. “They attacked us while we were at rest in our camp.”

The third spoke up, shaking his head, “We’ve been separated from our companions and we’re outnumbered. They’re after our lives...not to mention our gold.”

His muttered comment got him frowns from his companions, and the girl hissed, “Claude! This is serious!”

Jeralt kept soldiering through this unprecedented situation as if he did it daily. “I’m impressed you’re staying so calm considering the situation. I… Wait. That uniform…”

_ Their uniforms? _ The twins shared a surprised look. _ How would he recognize it? We’ve never seen any uniforms like this in our travels. _

Whatever Jeralt had been about to say was interrupted by Marcus, one of their mercenaries, running up to them, breathless. “Bandits spotted just north of the village. Damn… There are a lot of them…”

“I guess they followed you three all the way here,” Jeralt said with a sigh. “We can’t abandon this village now.” 

Jeralt turned to his children, quickly taking charge. “You two need to stay with these three. Protect them. That will be your sole mission this fight. That and to protect each other, of course.” 

They nodded in tandem. He returned the gesture before calling to the rest of his men, “Ready your gear and move out! We need to intercept the bandits before they reach the village.” 

Byleth walked up to the young nobles, Aloysia falling in step. She remained quiet and stoic while Byleth began to give orders to their new charges. 

“We need to set a defensive line to the north of the village, in case any bandits slip past the others,” Byleth said.

“These people are in danger because of us. We have to help!” the girl in the red uniform insisted.

“We _ are _ helping,” Byleth shook his head. “There’s more to battle than charging onto the front lines. We have to make sure these people stay safe.”

The boy in blue jumped in to defend his comrade with, “They would be safer if we kept the bandits further away. Even just defending too close by could cause problems for the town.”

“Dimitri’s right, but we have to play it smart,” the yellow-clad noble, apparently named Claude, spoke, frowning in thought. “It’s not like we need to take on all of them. That’s what the others are doing. If we’re quiet, we can approach from a place they’re not expecting. Then we take out the leader. They won’t be able to call for reinforcements and will be forced to retreat.”

Byleth looked to Aloysia. _ They have a point. And they have weapons. _

_ So we, what? Defy our instructions and take three young NOBLES into battle when we don’t even know their experience? Father says nobles are known for backstabbing. It could be a ploy. _Aloysia glared back at her brother. 

_ Right, because three _ children _ are capable of defeating _ us_. Sister, you wound me. _

Aloysia’s glare didn’t waver, making Byleth sigh. _ We can stay here and hope they don’t attack us, or we can let them do what they want and ensure they won’t. I know which I would prefer. _

Aloysia sighed and her glare softened into her usual neutral expression. _ Fine. But if this goes downhill, it’s your ass on the line. _

The two glanced back at the trio, who had begun to nervously look around. “My sister and I have decided that your plan is sound enough to act on.”

Nervous looks changed to brows furrowed in confusion. Claude asked, “You two decided on this _ how?_”

“No questions. Let’s move,” Aloysia said, walking to the east exit of the village. Byleth easily fell into step, but behind them she heard the nobles scrambling to catch up. 

They followed close to the outer edge of the village until the walls that enclosed it turned into forest. Aloysia motioned for everyone to halt as she peered out into the dimly lit area. She could see nothing in their immediate vicinity, only the sound of clashing weapons and shouting a good distance away giving any indication that a fight was taking place. She looked at Byleth and quickly put up three fingers on one hand and two on the other. He nodded. 

“Here’s the plan. You two,” Byleth pointed at Dimitri and the girl in the group, “will flank me in the front. Your main goal is to watch for anyone else who might try a flanking maneuver. Your friend will be following behind with my sister to give them space for ranged attacks while also keeping an eye out for anyone trying to surprise us. We move quickly and quietly.”

Aloysia noticed that the three nobles listened with rapt attention to her brother, nodding and readying their weapons as he gave the orders. Her opinion of them raised just slightly. 

“Now, get in position and move out,” Byleth said. 

The three nodded, with the girl adding, “Yes, sir.”

There was a pause. Aloysia snorted. Byleth glared at his sister, then looked at the girl. “What’s your name?”

“It’s Edelgard, sir."

“Edelgard?” When she nodded, Byleth snapped, “Never call me that again.”

Her face darkened slightly with embarrassment, making Claude snicker. Byleth shot a glare at him as well. “I said move out.”

“If you don’t mind me asking…” Claude began.

“He does,” Aloysia mock whispered, getting her another glare.

Claude smiled and winked in her direction before continuing, “So what _ should _we call you two? Not sure it’s efficient to yell ‘You with the lance!’ when in the middle of battle.”

Byleth’s face smoothed back to neutral. “I’m Byleth. My sister is Aloysia. Save any more questions for when this is all taken care of. Now, you two flanking, you with Aloysia. Let’s go.”

Curiosities sated, the group began to slowly move from their cover into the even more pitch-black treeline. Stiff shoulders gave away the nobles’ tension as they crept along, listening for even the slightest rustle. The twins, on the other hand, could feel their blood rushing. A good fight was coming, they could feel it. 

Suddenly, a tree overhead rustled. Just as fast, an arrow shot past Aloysia into its branches before a body fell to the ground. Aloysia looked in surprise at Claude who returned her shock with a smirk. “I figure if your father asked you to watch after us, we should watch after you both in return, right?”

She nodded slowly. “Thank you. You have my gratitude.”

Winking at her again, Claude said, “None of that now. We have to beat their leader before gratitude can be thrown around.”

Aloysia nodded again and moved on, Claude in step. As they continued through the forest, the shouting could be heard moving closer. Jeralt and the mercenaries were coming up on the leader and his strongest men, from the sound of it. Byleth looked over his shoulder to Aloysia. _ This is good. Dad will distract the other bandits while we sneak in from behind their leader. _

Byleth indicated for everyone to turn wide, and they arced a path around the clashing of the fight until they saw an opening in the trees; he motioned the group to stop.

“Claude,” Byleth glanced at the archer. “Fire an arrow off the leader’s armor. We need his attention away from the rest of the fighting. Dimitri, rush the leader with your lance to parry, and as he staggers back, Edelgard, you slide in and hit him. Aloysia and I will be right behind you in case he’s stronger than he seems.”

With that, an arrow flew through the air until it hit its mark with a clang. The bandit leader turned to their group, who now rushed from cover into the fray. His eyes were wild as he charged, yelling, “I’m going to kill you where you stand!”

The bandit raised his axe, and Dimitri parried it with the pole of his lance, as instructed. As both men staggered back a bit, Edelgard took her opportunity, rushing in and throwing all her strength behind the swing of her axe. It smashed into the bandit’s side, throwing him to the ground. A large dent halved by a gash in the metal of his armor could be clearly seen from how he landed splayed on the ground. 

Edelgard stood up straighter, relaxing her arms and turning towards the others. “That plan really was something, Byleth,” she said. But as she began to walk back towards her comrades, the bandit jumped back up, running at her with his axe high in the air. 

Edelgard drew her dagger, but Byleth knew it wouldn’t be enough to block the full force of the blow. As Aloysia ran up on the bandit’s side in an attempt to help, Byleth jumped in front of Edelgard, his back to the bandit. The enraged bandit swung his axe with all his might, cleaving a diagonal down Byleth’s back before harshly hitting Aloysia in the hip. 

Just as the pain began to sweep through both of them, it stopped. They looked around in tandem. The inky void they were in only held themselves and a thick silence until a young voice called out to them.

“Honestly! What are you accomplishing with that little stunt? It’s like you’re trying to get me killed, you fools!” And despite being awake, they watched as the green-haired girl that had been in their dreams for weeks came into view, judging them from her throne.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read the story so far! We appreciate it. Since at least some of you seem to be willing to stay for the long haul, we wanted to let you know that the story doesn't have a set posting schedule. Our schedules simply do not allow us to guarantee this, so we don't want to make any promises we can't keep. The goal is to simply post each chapter as quickly as we can while still accomplishing our day-to-day tasks.
> 
> That said, we do have big plans for this story, and we hope to see many of you hang around for every moment! We would love to hear your thoughts on the chapters in the comments. One of us will always make sure to respond, and we plan to each take alternating chapters. If you would like to comment to one of us, specifically, leave a mention in the comment and we will make sure to take that into account. 
> 
> Also, for those of you who also write in this fandom, feel free to join our Discord server. The link is in the first chapter's comments and should last infinitely. If there's a problem, simply comment and we will fix it. Thanks again to everyone here! We promise to get to everyone's favorite school soon.


	3. To Know The Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will probably be one of the few chapters that will pull heavily from the game dialogue. The early quotes were useful for introductory purposes, but as we get deeper, too much will change to keep using it. We did make slight changes, but hopefully none stick out. Enjoy the chapter!

**Part One: Alabaster Dusk**

**To Know The Beginning**

_ Great Tree Moon, 1180 _

The twins stared in shock at the girl. How did she know what happened? She was a dream! Plus, _ her _life? How was this apparition important, or more so than them?

The girl ignored them as they continued to struggle through their whirlwind of thoughts, sighing and continuing on. “Well, it’s fine. After all, if you don’t know the value of your own lives, you aren’t going to protect them very well, are you? Course not.”

Suddenly, the girl hopped up off her throne for the first time, clapping her hands together and giving a little giggle. “Well then, I guess it’s up to me to guide you two from now on. Right? You can call me Sothis, but I’m also known as ‘The Beginning.’”

“Sothis?” The twins looked around the chamber. They had thought the question, but it seemed to echo around the room aloud.

Their question went ignored. “Hmmm, Sothis...Yes, that is it. My name is Sothis.”

Sothis closed her eyes as she thought, a trance-like calm coming over her. She frowned slightly for a moment, as though displeased by the image in her mind’s eye, before she opened her eyes again. “And I am also called...The Beginning. But who once called me that?”

“Sothis?” the twins thought again, the word reverberating once more. Although both the name and girl were unfamiliar, it somehow seemed to fit her. 

Suddenly, Sothis looked at them. While they were glad to be acknowledged, her presence was overwhelming — like standing so close to a fire that it feels as if you may catch fire too. It was strange, considering her face betrayed no emotion. “I was not able to recall my name...until just now. And just like that, it came to me! How odd…”

Byleth and Aloysia glanced out of the corners of their eyes to each other. Aloysia raised an eyebrow.

“That look upon your faces…” The twins jumped, looking back at the girl. She glared just slightly in annoyance. “Did you think me a child? A mere child who forgot her own name?” 

The twins’ silence gave their thoughts away. Sothis scoffed and continued. “Phooey. That ‘child’ just saved your lives. And what does that make you?”

“We’re less than a child?” Aloysia muttered. Byleth, who had been giving Sothis a slight glare, turned to his sister with a look of offense. He opened his mouth to argue this but was interrupted.

“Correct! You understand.” Sothis smiled at Aloysia, continuing to ignore the suspicious looks from Byleth. “You threw yourselves before an axe to save just one young girl. Yet all is well, as I have stalled the flow of time for now. You two would have died had I not intervened.”

The twins blinked, their surprise doubled by Sothis’s calm mention of something that should have been impossible. No one could just...stop time, could they? Byleth found his voice first, asking, “You stopped time?”

Sothis frowned, but only just. “Hm. I do not hear your gratitude. Perhaps I should force you to leave?”

The twins quickly bent into a low bow, holding it for a moment before slowly straightening back up. Sothis’ mouth curled to a smirk as she looked between them. “There now. Is gratitude so much to ask? I did deem you worth saving after all. Though it is only momentary, time has stopped. However did I manage that…?”

There was an awkward pause as Sothis seemed to drift into thought once again. Byleth took the opportunity to ask another question. “What will happen once time resumes?”

“When time begins again, the axe will tear into your flesh, and you will surely meet your end.”

She clearly was not joking. Aloysia felt a knot tighten in her throat, and she reached over to wind her hand in Byleth’s sleeve. Byleth stiffened, practically to the point of snapping. Sothis continued, sounding almost annoyed. “How rude of you to drag me into this! Now, what to do…”

Aloysia suddenly grabbed Byleth’s arm to get his attention. Looking at him, she said, “Turn back the hands of time.”

Sothis gasped, bringing attention back to her once more. “Of course! I must turn back the hands of time!”

With no warning, Sothis put her hand up, palm facing them. From it, a white-gold circle appeared in the space between them, full of curved lines and circles holding strange shapes. Words slowly rotated on the outside, impossible to read.

Aloysia stepped slightly closer, intrigued by the magic Sothis wove, but Byleth held her back. When she turned to him, he gave her a serious look, pulling her to stand next to him. His other hand rested on the handle of the dagger he always kept on his belt, concerned by this display of power.

“Yes...I do believe it can be done. You really are quite troublesome,” Sothis said. As she said this, she gave them a smile. It looked a bit like how Jeralt smiled at them when they did something stupid. “I cannot wind back time too far, but all is well. You are aware of what’s to come, which means you can protect yourself this time.”

The magic Sothis worked began to move fast, and she urgently said, “Now, go! Yes, you who bear the flames within. Drift through the flow of time to find the answers that you seek…”

At these words, the twins felt the heavy pull of their eyelids being forced to shut as a spinning sensation overtook them. Just as quick as they were pulled into the vortex, the spinning stopped. They felt their feet shift once again on solid ground, and a familiar guttural yell had their eyes shooting open.

As though watching a memory, Byleth saw the bandit leader once again running toward Edelgard, axe raised. However, this time, he knew what not to do.

Byleth took off in a sprint, sliding in front of Edelgard with his lance pole ready to parry the blow he knew was coming. As the bandit leader reeled back from the shock of his hit, Aloysia threw a fireball into his side from a few feet away, safely out of reach from his axe.

The spell hit hard, and the bandit leader flew through the air, landing quite a distance from the shell-shocked nobles. This time, he stayed down. 

“Kostas is down! We all need to get out of here!” Bandits started retreating from their fights left and right, and three came to pick up their leader before they ran from the forest.

There was a silence that took over the forest as everyone waited for another surprise. When it didn’t come, they finally relaxed. Byleth turned around to the wide-eyed Edelgard. He began to ask how she was when she stuttered out, “You...you saved my life.”

Edelgard dipped into a deep bow. “I owe you a great debt,” she said before straightening back up.

Byleth heard fast-approaching footsteps and whirled around, lance at the ready, but it was only Aloysia and with the noble in blue. Far behind them, Claude also ran towards the group. He waved his arm in the air and yelled, “Hey! Are you all okay?”

Dimitri and Aloysia came to a halt. Aloysia scanned her eyes over her brother, looking for injuries, then nodded when she seemed to find none. Dimitri looked between his friend and her savior. “Byleth, Edelgard. I am relieved to see you’re both unharmed.”

“Agreed,” Claude said, through slightly labored breathing. He clapped a hand on Byleth’s shoulder. “That was a slick move you pulled to save Edelgard.”

Byleth and Aloysia glanced at each other, then back at the three. “It was an obvious move. It was the same thing we expected him to try on Dimitri earlier, so I simply used the same guard technique,” Byleth said.

“It was no less impressive earlier than now. It is thanks to your quick thinking that we are all unharmed,” Edelgard said.

Before they could continue the conversation, Jeralt rode over, jumping off his horse as he got close. “Everyone! I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

He looked at his children with a bit of a scowl. “But I _ thought _ I tasked you with staying back to protect them and each other.”

“You didn’t,” Aloysia said matter-of-factly. “You said only to protect everyone. We did.”

Claude covered a snort with his hand. Dimitri looked off to the side, but Jeralt swore he saw him covering a smirk.

“Well,” Jeralt said, “We will be having a long discussion about this later. For now, I’m glad you’re both fine. Now let’s get back to the —”

Everyone paused when Byleth and Aloysia turned to look back into the forest suddenly. They pulled out their weapons, causing the others in the area to follow suit. The sound of horses and armor clinking began to fill the area, and everyone took defensive positions. 

A group of heavily armored knights then burst through the forest line, and the man in the front zeroed in his sight on the three nobles being guarded. “Your Highnesses! You’re safe! And who are these brave souls who —”

There was a pause as he stared at Jeralt. Everyone looked between the two until the knight in charge ran over and yelled, “Captain Jeralt?! Goddess, it _ is _ you! Goodness, it’s been ages!”

The twins looked at each other in shock and lowered their weapons. _ Captain? Captain of what exactly? And how long is ages? Who even is this guy? _

“Don’t you recognize me? Alois, your old right-hand man! Well...that’s how I always thought of myself anyway.” As Alois trailed off to think for a moment, Byleth slapped a hand over a surprised laugh. Aloysia glared at him while the nobles watched the interactions with varying degrees of confusion. Alois continued, “It must have been 20 years ago that you went missing without a trace. But I always knew you were still alive!”

Jeralt gave a world-weary sigh to his apparent former ward. “You haven’t changed a bit, Alois. Just as loud as ever. And drop the ‘captain’ nonsense. I’m not your captain anymore. I’m just a wandering mercenary, and I have work to do. Goodbye, old friend.”

Alois frowned. “Right...goodbye, Captain.”

Aloysia looked around frantically, trying to find a way to keep both men from immediately leaving. She had heard her father’s stories of an Alois, and she needed to know if this was the one. It was no matter, because Alois somehow beat her to it, suddenly insisting, “Wait! That’s not how this ends! I insist that you return to the monastery with me!”

“Garreg Mach Monastery…” Jeralt ran a hand down his face. “I suppose this was inevitable.”

Alois gave a slight laugh then looked to the twins. “And how about you two? Are you Jeralt’s children?”

The twins looked to each other. Aloysia shook her head almost imperceptibly, and Byleth looked back to Alois. “We’re bandits.”

Jeralt smirked and rolled his eyes while Alois gave a hearty laugh. “Great sense of humor! Clearly cut from the same cloth as the captain.”

“Sense of_ humor?_” Aloysia muttered. Byleth shrugged, clearly as baffled about this information.

“Anyway! I’d love for you both to see the monastery too! You will join us, won’t you?” Alois asked, then pointing to the three nobles still behind them. “Seems those three took a shine to you!”

Dimitri and Edelgard both spluttered and looked away, red creeping up their necks, while Claude flashed a grin. “Yeah, Alois! You should see their moves! They really know how to fight!”

Alois gave Claude a thumbs up and looked back to Jeralt. “Come on, Captain. You aren’t going to run off again, are you?”

“Father,” Aloysia interrupted. “What is anyone talking about? Run off _ again_? A captain? Captain of what exactly? Also...him?!”

“That’s what I’d like to know as well,” Byleth cut in. “_This _ is _ the _ Alois? The one she’s named for?”

A long silence filled the early morning as Alois stared at the family. Just before the twins could wonder if Sothis had stopped time again, Alois took a deep breath and yelled, “NAMED AFTER ME? _ She’s _ named after _ me_?”

Aloysia thought she heard her father mutter, “You weren’t ever supposed to meet each other,” but to the group he said tiredly, “Yes, Alois. You didn’t get to meet the twins because of your assignment at the Eastern Church. But this is my daughter, Aloysia, and my son, Byleth.”

“Aloysia...Byleth…” Alois repeated, growing quiet and solemn. “We thought you had _ all _ died in the fire. I never wanted to believe it, but…and now you’re here…”

He shook his head. “I wish we had known. She’ll want to see you all, you realize? You’ll have no choice.”

Jeralt seemed to droop slightly as he gave another of his deep sighs. “Even I wouldn’t dare run from the Knights of Seiros. We’ll come with you. Just allow us to pack up. We can meet you at the camp these three mentioned.”

“Boss!” A group of the mercenaries in their band ran up to them. “We overheard your conversation. If you leave, what will happen to us?”

“You’ll come with us,” Jeralt said. “I won’t have you out of work because of me. We’ll sign you up with the battalion guild. You’ll likely have a different leader, but you’ll get to fight and get paid.”

The mercenaries frowned, clearly sad to lose Jeralt as their leader, but they accepted this with no argument. As they continued to receive instructions about packing up, Alois looked to the twins. “Well! We will see you very soon. I’m excited to have the chance to talk with you more. Now, Highnesses! We should go pack up our own camp. Once they arrive, we need to head out immediately. It will already be another night of camping at this rate.”

The three young nobles gave quick bows to the mercenaries and then the twins before following the knights out of the clearing. It was a moment still before they stopped hearing Alois’ boisterous voice through the trees. 

Byleth and Aloysia looked to Jeralt, a mixture of confusion and concern practically written on their faces. “Father,” Aloysia began. “Dad, what’s happening?”

Jeralt shook his head. “My past has decided to drag me back into its clutches. Sorry it dragged you two along as well.”

“We’ve made it through worse,” Byleth said. “We should hurry from the sound of it.”

“Yes,” Jeralt agreed. “Best not tempt fate further.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're so happy that so many of you have decided to stick around for what is going to be an incredibly long journey. As mentioned, we have no set posting schedule, but our outline does allow for us to get our ideas written down faster. We hope you are enjoying this so far! Comments are always welcome and appreciated. We promise the monastery is coming, and thank you for your patience with our uploads.


	4. The Forging of Bonds

**Part One: Alabaster Dusk**

**The Forging of Bonds**

_ Great Tree Moon, 1180 _

“You both all packed up?” Jeralt asked from atop his horse, Holly. 

Byleth finished strapping up the last of the saddle bags, then hopped up on his horse, Cherry. Once settled, he held out a hand to Aloysia, helping her pull herself into the saddle behind him. She grabbed onto the back of his cloak, then looked to her dad. “Yeah. All packed. Let’s go.”

Jeralt rolled his eyes before calling to the rest of the mercenaries, “Head out! We need to try to meet up with the rest of our new group and get as close to Garreg Mach as we can by sundown!” 

The group took off for the nobles’ camp, only a short distance away. There was barely enough time for Aloysia to get accustomed to the horse’s gait before they had arrived.

“There they are!” Though they’d only just met Alois, they immediately recognized the booming voice as his. “Let’s get on the road, shall we? Hopefully we can make it to the foothills of the mountains by nightfall.”

Everyone fell into a natural formation. The knights took up spots at the front and rear while the mercenaries covered the sides. The twins found themselves in the center of the group, keeping watchful eyes on the three young nobles.

“Soooo,” Claude began, leaning off his horse at an angle that frightened Aloysia. “Were they down to their last horse the day you two went shopping? Did they make you play rock-paper-scissors for the last one?”

Aloysia looked away, eyes shifting nervously as she tried to find somewhere to look that wasn’t at someone. Byleth scowled at Claude and took a breath to begin to tell him off when Edelgard rode up beside Claude and cracked her riding crop on his arm. 

“YEOWCH! What was that for?!” Claude massaged the red mark rapidly bruising on his arm. 

Edelgard didn’t bother to answer, instead simply shaking her head. Dimitri added, “Honestly, Claude.”

The two rode to be slightly further up and Claude gaped at them. “What does that _ mean_?”

As Claude rode to join his friends, Byleth turned slightly so he could see Aloysia. _ Are you okay? _

_ Fine. Can we drop it for now? _Aloysia asked, cutting off the conversation when she dropped her forehead to his back. The trip stayed quiet after that. 

It was nearly sunset when Alois yelled, “This looks like the perfect spot for camp!” 

The knights began dismounting, some immediately going off to grab wood for fires while others began to tie up and feed the horses. Byleth and Aloysia made sure to tie up Cherry near Holly so the sisters could graze together. They then unpacked their bedrolls from the saddle bags and headed to the edge of the clearing, staying slightly apart from everyone else. 

While the twins unpacked, Alois’ booming voice could be heard telling Jeralt that the knights would take watch for the whole night in return for the mercenaries’ help that morning. Jeralt thanked his apparently old friend, and his troops gave a cheer when they heard the news. 

As the knights grumbled about who would take what shifts, the sound of sharp whispers drifted through the clearing. The twins glanced toward the whispers just in time to see Dimitri being shoved by his two friends in their general direction. Dimitri gave a huff after a few more minutes of whispered debate, then walked over, his face seeming to turn a deeper red with each step.

“Uh…” Dimitri faltered for a second before clearing his throat and seeming to collect himself. “Byleth, Aloysia. The three of us were wondering if you two would mind some company.”

Byleth raised an eyebrow and Aloysia hid her brief laugh inside a cough. Dimitri paused for a moment, then seeming to realize what he had asked, flushed even darker. He turned to look back at his friends for help, but Edelgard was pointedly looking anywhere but at Dimitri while Claude winked and gave two thumbs up. 

Dimitri sighed. “We simply hoped to spend some time with the two of you. We thought we could get to know you better since you may soon join us at the monastery.”

Aloysia cocked her head. “Joining you?”

“We’re simply accompanying you back due to our father’s friendship with that knight. Nothing more, nothing less,” Byleth said simply.

“Oh,” Dimitri said. “Apologies for our assumptions. May we still join you for conversation tonight at least? It has been enjoyable to hear a perspective we aren’t used to.”

The twins looked at each other, eyes widening suddenly when they both heard a familiar young voice. “Seems those three really want to be friends with you. Maybe you should take them up on their offer. You two could really use some friends, anyway.”

Aloysia furrowed her brow and opened her mouth to say something when Sothis interrupted with, “Don’t talk to me when there are people around! Talking to me will certainly make you stick out more than you already do.”

“Uh, are you alright?” Dimitri chimed back in, confused by what appeared to him to be a silent staring contest between siblings. “Have I come at a bad time? I apologize. We can simply talk during the remainder of our journey. I will take my leave.”

As he turned to walk back to his friends, Sothis chided the twins, “Don’t let him leave! Befriend them! It would be foolish of you to ignore this opportunity to gain allies. It is being handed _ right to you_!”

“Dimitri.” Byleth’s voice rang strong through the clearing and Dimitri stopped, looking over his shoulder.

“Yes?”

Byleth took a breath. “We...wouldn’t be opposed to conversing with you and your friends. Feel free to come join us for the night.” 

Aloysia glanced at her brother, eyebrows raised. _ You think this is a good idea? _

Byleth shrugged. _ It made Sothis content...and quieter. _

“Hey! I can hear you too, you know!” Sothis crossed her arms and sat back in her throne.

While Aloysia still wanted to tell her brother off, her frustration eased with seeing the smile Dimitri graced them with, as if they had lifted a weight off his shoulders. 

“Excellent. I will go tell Claude and Edelgard. We shall join you soon.” Dimitri walked with more purpose back to his friends. 

_ I didn’t know it was so easy to make people smile like that, _ Aloysia thought to Byleth. _ I think only dad has ever smiled that way to us. _

_ They sure are an interesting group, _ Byleth agreed, giving a shrug. _ Maybe it will be good for us to have allies our own age. _

After a moment of silence between the two, they got back to setting up their camp area. Byleth took the job of brushing the horses while Aloysia went looking for firewood.

Brushing Cherry and Holly was relaxing for Byleth. He got along well with horses, an effect of practically being raised in a saddle. He was just finishing using his round brush on Cherry when he heard footsteps approaching. Trying not to give away his possible advantage, he glanced toward the noise out of the corner of his eye and realized it was simply Claude sauntering up.

“Hey, man!” the young noble greeted. “Saw you on horse brushing duty and thought it could go faster with another set of hands. Does this beauty get along with most people?”

Byleth scoffed and turned back to keep brushing Cherry. “She does. I, however, am not so trusting.”

“Ahhhhh…” Claude scratched the back of his head. “No beating around the bush, then. I could tell something I said came off the wrong way. I didn’t mean to sound like a jerk, man. Sorry ‘bout that.”

“Apologizing to me won’t fix anything,” Byleth said, throwing the round brush with slightly more force than necessary at Claude, who caught it with ease, much to Byleth’s chagrin. “It’s my sister you need to talk to if you want to right things.”

Claude sighed as he began his task. “I figured I also needed to do that. Can I ask, though, if it was just how I said it or something more?”

Silence fell between them for a moment as Byleth contemplated his response. “It is more, but it is also not for me to tell. If you wish to ask my sister about it, I would think hard about your phrasing. Upsetting her a second time will not end well for you.”

“Now _ that _is easy to picture,” Claude laughed, his calm facade betrayed by the nervous edge to his voice. “After seeing you both in battle this morning, I wouldn’t want to take on either of you separately, much less together.”

“Mm. That would be in your best interest.” Byleth finished up his brushing, tossing the soft brush to Claude so he could complete his task as well. The two enjoyed the calm of the forest clearing while they kept working, until finally both had finished.

“Well, I think I have another apology to get to, if you’re ready to head back?” Claude asked. He glanced at his friends, who were returning with Aloysia, arms full of firewood. Dimitri and Edelgard seemed to be trying to start a conversation with Aloysia, albeit without much success.

Byleth saw his sister falter a bit as she was setting down the wood pile she held and said, “Yes, we should head back. Aloysia looks to be too tired to start the fire with her magic, so we should help.”

“Seems like she may need rescuing from Their Highnesses as well. They can be overbearing on the best of days.” Claude put his hands behind his head and began to head off, Byleth easily falling into step.

As they neared their camping area, Byleth started to pick up on some of the conversation. It sounded as if the two nobles had noticed his sister’s exhaustion and were trying very hard to be helpful.

“Dimitri, of course I know how to start a fire. I am not incompetent,” Edelgard snapped.

Dimitri scoffed. “Well then, princess, by all means, show us how you start a fire, if you will.”

“Oh, I most certainly will!” Edelgard proceeded to kneel to the ground and look amongst the many pieces of wood they collected as if searching for the best option.

While Aloysia flitted her eyes between the two bickering nobles, she happened to notice Byleth returning. Her shoulders sagged slightly as she let out a breath. _ Oh thank the Goddess. They insist on helping, but I am not sure they actually know how. _

Aloysia’s theory was proven correct when Claude strolled up to his friends with a wide grin, asking, “Are we watching the princess try to start a fire for the first time? This should be fun.”

Edelgard stood up abruptly, pointing at Claude with a scowl. “One more word, von Riegan, and I will use _ you _ for kindling.”

“None of you will be attempting any fire starting,” Byleth interjected. “Go lay out your bedrolls and grab rations for everyone. _ I _ will start the fire.”

“Of course,” Edelgard said with a sharp nod, turning to obey her new instructions. Dimitri followed suit, trying to drag Claude with him until Byleth said, “He can stay.”

Dimitri looked between the two, brow furrowed. Claude gave him a wink, and Dimitri left with a roll of his eyes. Claude watched after his friend for a beat then said, “Thanks for the assist!” He gave Byleth a salute before strolling over to where Aloysia had just sat down on her bedroll.

“Aloysia! You’re just the person I was hoping to talk to. Mind if I join you?” Claude gave a dazzling smile as he spoke. Aloysia regarded him skeptically, an eyebrow raised. After a moment, satisfied that Claude wasn’t joking around, she nodded and patted the space next to her. Claude plopped down on the ground next to her, resting his cheek on his fist to look at her. “I wanted to start by saying I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I ended up sounding like a jerk and upsetting you at the same time. I hope you know that wasn’t my intention.”

Aloysia’s gaze dropped to the ground. “It’s fine,” she mumbled. 

“It clearly isn’t,” Claude said. “Look, I’m not going to pry into whatever happened in the past, but I hope we can become friends. That means that if I say something that upsets you, you tell me to back off. No hard feelings. Okay?”

Aloysia looked up and blinked at Claude. She scanned his face for any hint of deceit, but he seemed sincere in his words, a serious expression gracing his features. She nodded. “Okay.”

“Excellent!” Claude said, standing up abruptly. “Now let’s get this show on the road! Where are the princess and His Kingliness?”

“Patience, Claude,” Dimitri said as the two nobles wove through the others at the camp. “It does, in fact, take a few minutes to wait in line to receive our rations. It seems our dinner this evening will be deer jerky and bread...again.”

“Toast the bread if you insist on variety in your meals,” Edelgard said, giving Dimitri a fond but withering look. “Plus, some of the knights found blueberry bushes, so we get to have that _ delicacy _ as well.”

“Ha. How very amusing,” Dimitri said as he set down the rations he had carried. “I see Claude has also failed to start the fire, though.”

Claude smirked, “Oh, well I’m sure I could do better than—“

“Stop,” Byleth interrupted. “I already told you all that I will be—“

But before Byleth could complete his sentence, a small spark shot past the group, setting the wood aflame. They all turned to look at Aloysia, who blinked back at them. “I’m hungry,” she said simply.

There was a second of silence before Edelgard began to laugh, a clear, delicate sound. Her laughter proved contagious, as Claude burst into chuckles while Dimitri scoffed, hiding his smile behind his hand. Byleth simply shook his head at their antics and gently bopped his fist on the top of his sister’s head. “I was _ going _ to do that. You should be resting. You’ve used enough magic today.”

“One whole fireball. Yes, plenty of magic,” Aloysia threw back with a slight glare. Then, just to show how much energy she still had left, she stood up and grabbed her portion of dinner. She skewered her bread on a stick she found nearby and sat down near the fire to make her toast. 

When no one moved to join her, she stared at the group. Unsure how to ask their three new acquaintances what was wrong, she decided to try talking to them in the same way she would Byleth. “Are you going to keep standing or actually eat? I certainly wouldn’t mind seconds if you’re not going to eat your food.”

Claude barked out another laugh. “Is that the Aloysia that’s been hiding from us this whole time? I like her.”

Edelgard elbowed Claude and he yelped. “What! I meant that she shouldn’t be afraid to be herself. Good grief…”

Dimitri and Edelgard just shook their heads, retrieving their own food and sitting down with Aloysia. Byleth made sure to squeeze into a spot next to his sister, worried that she would be overwhelmed, but his concern ended up unfounded. Within minutes, everyone was conversing about one thing or another. Somehow, the conversation had started with discussing everyone’s preferred weapons and now was on the topic of which country had the best cuisine.

With everyone carrying on, no one heard the footsteps approaching them. “You all seem to be getting along well!”

The group startled, causing the twins to stiffen and a startled yelp to come from Edelgard, who quickly covered her mouth, face turning a bright red to match her leggings. Claude choked on the jerky he had just taken a bite of, thumping his fist to his chest in an attempt to help. Dimitri, in a slight overreaction, swiftly turned to the source of the booming voice, brandishing his toasting stick as a weapon and causing his piece of bread to go flying, hitting Alois in the chest.

There was a moment where Dimitri gaped at Alois before the knight burst into hearty laughter. “Goddess! That was one of the best reactions I’ve received in a while.” As he was wiping his eyes of the tears that had escaped, a large hand fell on his shoulder.

“Please try not to scare my children, Alois. It would be more than just toast coming at your breastplate if you did,” Jeralt said, with a smirk at Dimitri, who hid his face in his hands with a groan. “It’s also good to know the Leicester Alliance’s leader can be taken out with a good scare.”

“Only a well-timed scare,” Claude rasped, taking the canteen Edelgard passed his way. After a few larger gulps, he cleared his throat. “And no critique for the princess, I see.”

Edelgard’s face turned crimson, but she replied coolly, “I don’t see why there should be a critique. I didn’t throw bread at anyone.”

Dimitri gave her a half-hearted glare through his fingers. “Yes, well, you will be the first found if you screech every time someone sneaks up on you.”

Jeralt shook his head fondly at the group while Alois gave another of his loud laughs. “Well. I had planned to come over here to let you all know that we plan to depart shortly after sunrise, but I’m glad I got to have that show instead. Enjoy the rest of your night!”

At Alois’ departure, Edelgard looked to the sky and frowned. “If we wish to get any rest before heading out, we should begin to head to bed.”

She stood up gracefully, brushing dirt off her leggings, and the other two nobles followed suit, picking up their things and heading to each of their bedrolls. Just before the twins could join them, Jeralt pulled his children aside, one under each of his arms. “It’s nice to see you two making friends. I’m sorry that this is the first time you’ve been able to really meet people your own age.”

“You don’t need to be sorry,” Aloysia said, leaning her head into his shoulder. 

Jeralt leaned his head on top of hers. “I just...this is what I always wanted for your two. The life we’ve lived isn’t what I had planned.”

“Plus,” he added, putting Byleth in a headlock, “I like to see you two figure out how to communicate with others, and not just each other. I can actually hear your conversations for once.”

He went to ruffle Byleth’s hair, only getting a couple swipes in before Byleth began to swat his hand away. “Dad!” Byleth said with a laugh. “Stop! I’m not a kid! Get off me!”

Jeralt’s grip slackened, allowing a confused Byleth to wiggle free. When he turned to look at his father, Jeralt was staring at him with shock. “You’ve never...was that…?”

Jeralt suddenly looked at Aloysia. “You heard that, right? Did your brother just _ laugh_?”

“Yes, he did. Is that so strange, Father?” Aloysia cocked her head. Byleth furrowed his brow at the conversation, unsure of where it was leading.

Jeralt turned back to his son. “You’ve _ never _laughed before! How else am I supposed to react? I can’t believe I finally got one of you to laugh!”

Before Jeralt could pull the two of them back in for a hug, Byleth started to sneak away, pulling Aloysia along with him. “Okay, Dad. We need to rest if we want to be alert in the morning. For once, try to actually get some sleep.”

“Um...yes. Goodnight, Dad,” Aloysia said as she was dragged away.

Jeralt smiled to himself and he watched his children head back to their little corner of camp, talking with their new friends as if they had known each other for much longer than a day. _ Maybe going back to the monastery will be good for them after all_, he thought, heart feeling a little lighter after his day of worry.

The next morning, they were on the road shortly after sunrise, as planned. Their journey took a large portion of the day, but time seemed to move quickly as the five new friends talked amongst themselves. Claude found himself jumping back and forth between conversations, albeit ones that didn’t interest him much. 

Edelgard was showing off her knowledge of history by regaling Byleth with details of major battles at any location he named. Though Claude found the conversation drier than Almyra’s deserts, Byleth seemed to be listening with rapt attention. 

Dimitri and Aloysia’s conversation was only slightly more interesting as they debated the advantages of infantry versus cavalry or flying units, but they both seemed fully engrossed in their conversation as well.

It wasn’t until they reached the town right below Garreg Mach that the twins seemed to remember where their journey was taking them. They looked up in awe as the monastery came into view, a behemoth of walls and towers that rose up through the mountains for both the best view and the best tactical advantage. Their amazement at the grandiose complex had the three nobles smiling.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Edelgard asked with a smile.

Dimitri scoffed, “It is useful for much more than its looks. The perfect strategic location.”

“I’m just ready to be back in my bed. The ground has been hard on my back.” Claude grinned as the group gave him varying looks of disdain.

Before anyone could continue, the thunderous voice of Alois came through the group. “Alright, everyone! Jeralt’s mercenaries will go to the marketplace to talk with the battalion guild. The rest of you, stable your horses and report to your commanders. And then get some rest — you’ve earned it!”

The knights and mercenaries began to head off in various directions to obey Alois’ commands. The three nobles bid a quick goodbye to their new friends before following the knights up towards the monastery.

Alois rode up beside Byleth and Aloysia, Jeralt beside him. The knight offered a big smile, saying, “I’d never given up hope that I’d be able to say this.”

“Eisner family, welcome back to Garreg Mach!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! At the monastery, as promised. This has been our longest chapter so far, hence the slightly longer time between posts. We had definitely planned to get further than this but enjoyed growing the friendships a bit more. Let us know your thoughts in the comments! We enjoy feedback of all sorts. Next time: Rhea.
> 
> Also, while Edelgard was trying to light the fire, Hubert back at the monastery woke from a nap in a cold sweat. His assistance was needed, but he wasn't there.


	5. First Impressions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long wait. Life, once again, made itself known. To make up for it, here is an incredibly long chapter.

**Part One: Alabaster Dusk**

**First Impressions**

_ Great Tree Moon, 1180 _

Byleth and Aloysia had been left to their own devices almost immediately upon entering the monastery — a female knight named Catherine had summoned Jeralt to a meeting, and Alois left them to report to his commander.

They had quietly followed the knights to the stables, where they had been given stalls for Cherry and Holly. Unsure of what to do or where they were permitted to roam, they stayed with their horses, brushing and feeding them.

The knights kept their distance, attending to their own duties, but the twins could feel the curious glances constantly sent their way. That was nothing new, but being in a strange place filled with strange people giving them strange looks was…uncomfortable.

A booming voice broke the uneasy tension as they heard Alois exclaim, “There you two are! I’ve been looking all over the monastery for you!”

“Are we needed?” Byleth asked, setting down the brush he’d been using.

“Your father’s meeting with the archbishop should be just about done. She wants to see you,” Alois said. “Best hurry along! We shouldn’t keep her waiting.”

“So this archbishop, she must be important, then?” Aloysia asked, cocking her head.

Alois opened and closed his mouth, eyebrows raised in shock. “Important? She runs the place! Plus, she helps keep peace around the whole of Fódlan and sometimes even with the surrounding countries! She’s quite powerful...which is why we should get going. Don’t want to give a bad first impression on your first day back!”

As the twins began to follow Alois from the stables, Aloysia looked to her brother. Byleth shrugged, clearly also unsure about what was going on.

They set aside their confusion and followed Alois past some immaculate hedges, up a narrow flight of stairs, and into a large audience chamber. Aloysia made sure to stick close to her brother as they walked toward where Jeralt was standing at the other end of the chamber, talking with a man and a woman who both had green hair. The man was simply but finely dressed, while the woman wore ornate robes and an elaborate headpiece.

“I found them, Your Grace!” Alois called, voice echoing in the chamber.

Jeralt and the strangers turned towards them. Jeralt’s face was unreadable, but the woman’s smile was radiant. She said, “Thank you, Alois. You may return to your duties. I know you are a busy man.”

Alois bowed and left, leaving the twins alone with the others. The woman took a step towards them and opened her arms in greeting, saying, “Byleth, Aloysia...it has been so long. I am overjoyed the Goddess has finally brought you back home.”

The twins exchanged a brief, confused glance. Aloysia raised an eyebrow. _ Home? _

_ Alois has also said things about us “being back.” What are they talking about? _ Byleth frowned.

“A mystery...intriguing,” Sothis interrupted their thoughts. “This should prove to be interesting to watch unfold.”

“Oh, but I have forgotten my manners. I am Rhea, the archbishop of the Church of Seiros. And this is Seteth, my advisor and right hand.”

The twins looked over to the strange man they had previously ignored. Now that they could see his face, they noticed that aside from his fine clothes, he also wore a gold circlet. His posture gave an air of refinement, but his expression, like theirs, betrayed none of his thoughts.

Seteth gave a formal bow. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

Byleth simply nodded in response, but Aloysia froze. She didn’t know what was happening. Her pulse had sped up dramatically and her stomach felt twisted in knots. She looked to Byleth. _ Brother, something’s wrong. I feel strange. _

Byleth returned the glance, eyes widening in alarm. _ Your face is scarlet. Are you unwell? I’m sure we can quickly find a doctor should you need one. _

_ I’m not sure...I feel as if… _ but before Aloysia could continue her thought, she realized her father was speaking.

“—n’t worry, Lady Rhea, Seteth. They do this sometimes.”

“Interesting,” Rhea said, giving the twins a smile. “They do say twins can often understand each other better than anyone else. We take no offense.”

Byleth glanced at Seteth, whose small scowl indicated he didn’t share Rhea’s sentiment. Aloysia, preoccupied with her own thoughts, didn’t seem to notice Seteth’s frown. Both were startled out of their thoughts, though, when Rhea turned to them suddenly.

“You have my deepest gratitude for protecting our students. Although they may not have told you, the three students you saved are the leaders of their respective houses. It would be a devastating blow to our students, as well as their countries, were anything to happen to them.”

Aloysia cocked her head. “Apologies, but may I ask, what do you mean houses? And how does their safety affect whole countries?”

“Well,” Seteth said. “To start, Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude are all next in line to lead their home countries.”

The twins’ eyebrows raised, trying to imagine their three new friends as rulers of whole countries. Jeralt huffed and shook his head. “So those are the next three rulers? Incredible that they are here all at once.”

“Truly,” Seteth nodded. “It is the first such instance of it happening.”

“You spoke of them leading houses. What did you mean by that?” Byleth asked.

“I can explain that one,” Jeralt said. “Students here are from the three countries of Fódlan. To keep the infighting to a minimum, they’re separated into houses. Students from the Empire are in the Black Eagles, students from the Kingdom are in the Blue Lions, and students from the Alliance are in the Golden Deer. Makes sense that the heirs to the countries would be the house leaders.”

“Indeed,” Rhea agreed. “They, and a small number of their classmates, were chosen to spend an additional year at the academy to hone their skills even further. The leadership of the second-year students, particularly the house leaders, is deeply valuable to their houses, and the academy as a whole.”

“I must disagree with Jeralt,” Seteth said. “We do encourage intermingling between the houses, even holding multiple events for this purpose. Infighting is not a common problem amongst our students any longer. The current house leaders have certainly helped that since their arrival last year.”

“Those three do seem close. That will be useful for diplomacy in the future,” Jeralt nodded.

“In any case,” Rhea continued. “We can certainly answer more questions later, but first, I would like to make a request of the two of you.”

The twins glanced at each other before looking back to the archbishop. “Of course. We may not be much help, but we can at least listen,” Aloysia said.

Rhea covered her laughter with her hand. “I am certain you will be of great help. Perhaps ‘request’ is not the correct word...it is more an offer. I would like to ask you both to become teachers here at the academy.”

“_Teachers? _” Jeralt asked. “Lady Rhea, not to question your decision, but you would request my children, who you barely know, to teach here?”

Aloysia screwed up her face. “I think we should be offended.”

“But you have to admit, what he said is true,” Byleth responded.

“Surely this is a jest, yes?” Seteth said, looking at Rhea, taken aback.

Rhea shook her head, replying serenely, “I am serious, Seteth. They have shown tremendous prowess on the battlefield while protecting our students. Alois also told me of the rapport they built with the house leaders while traveling here. He spoke quite highly of them. They may have no formal teaching experience, but their experience and leadership will be valuable here.”

The twins could only just hear their father mutter under his breath, “Why would you listen to _ Alois _ about this?”

So that the others could hear him, Jeralt said, “I love my children, but even I have to admit...though their skills on the battlefield are unmatched, their people skills...need work.”

“See?” Byleth said. “_Now _ we can be offended. Thank you, Father.”

“You know what I mean,” Jeralt said with an exasperated look at his son. “You proved my point just a minute ago. Sometimes you...well, you two forget that you have to talk _ out loud_.”

Aloysia gave her father an odd look. “We talk out loud plenty.”

Jeralt hummed, clearly skeptical. Seteth scoffed, shaking his head. “While this is all...enlightening information, should we not consider this logistically, Lady Rhea? Would it not be preferable to enroll them instead? They seem to be more our students’ peers than their teachers.”

At this, Aloysia face heated and she looked to the floor, shuffling slightly closer to Byleth, who noticed his sister’s discomfort at the cold tone of voice. He glared at the other man. “We may have never taught before, but if you enrolled us as students, we would certainly outmatch them all.”

“So it is decided, then,” Rhea said, after shooting a brief look at her advisor. “There is a reception tonight to welcome the new students to the academy, as well as to welcome back our class of second-year students. It would be an excellent opportunity for our new professors to meet their students, and choose which house to head.”

“You’ve yet to pick the professors to head the houses?” Jeralt asked. Clearly this was unusual, if his tone was anything to go by.

Rhea gave a small sigh. “We sadly have not. All of our previous heads of house have left that position one way or another. Professor Hanneman has stepped down from his position as head of the Black Eagles house to focus on his research, although he will remain a professor. Our Blue Lion professor, Sir Thunberg, has returned to his position in the Knights of Seiros, and Professor Montmorency, who headed the Golden Deer, retired.”

Jeralt huffed a laugh. “Well, Montmorency certainly deserves the rest. Although, I didn’t realize he hadn’t already retired.”

“In any case,” Seteth cut in, “the reception tonight will allow you both, as well as Professor Manuela, who shall be our third head of house, to contemplate which house you think you will work best with. Make sure you familiarize yourselves with everyone.”

“In particular, become acquainted with the second-year students. As they are our advanced students, you will be working most closely with them,” Rhea nodded.

There was an uncomfortable silence before the church bells chimed, signaling midday. When the bells quieted, Rhea said, “Midday already? Please excuse us, but we have a meeting we must attend. I will ask Cyril to show you to the rooms we have prepared for you. We thought you may wish to stay close to one another, so they are adjoining. Please feel free to explore the grounds. If you need any assistance, I am sure everyone would be willing to help. We shall see you this evening at the reception.”

With this, she departed the room, Seteth close behind. They had scarcely left before a boy entered the room, bowing to them. “My name is Cyril. Lady Rhea asked me to show you to your rooms. If you’ll follow me, please.”

The twins glanced at their father, who chuckled. “You two go on. I know my way around well enough. I’ll find you later.”

The two nodded and began to follow Cyril out of the room, with Byleth saying over his shoulder, “You’ll be explaining things later, too, I hope.”

Jeralt smiled and shook his head. “I guess we’ll see.”

Byleth rolled his eyes. Aloysia grabbed his sleeve to hold onto as he fell in step with her, and together they set off to see what would be their new home.

* * *

There were _ a lot _more people at this school than they thought.

The monastery’s incredibly large reception hall was decorated in the colors of the three houses; banners and tapestries hung from the ceiling and walls. Students, all in the academy’s simple black uniform, were chatting amongst each other, flitting between the reception hall and the buffet in the adjoining dining hall. The faculty seemed to be having lively conversations as well, both with their colleagues and their students. Rhea was milling about, welcoming students, while Seteth never seemed to stray far from her side.

Byleth and Aloysia were unsuccessfully trying to stay unnoticed in a corner of the hall. They had hoped that their unfamiliarity with anyone in the room would serve as a deterrent to any conversations, but it seemed to do the opposite — countless students, and even a few teachers they’d never seen, approached them, hoping to talk with the apparently fascinating new professors. Each seemed more than slightly disappointed when the twins added few words to the conversation, before losing interest and leaving the two.

To those that didn’t know them, they simply seemed stoic. For those who knew them — namely Jeralt — there were telltale signs that not only were they uncomfortable in this new situation, they were _ stressed_. Aloysia had a slight tremor in her hands, something she tried to hide by pressing her nails into her palms. Byleth was slowly beginning to look more frustrated to others, when really his jaw was simply getting more clenched the more he had to deal with the hordes of strangers coming up to them.

They had been left alone for a peaceful five minutes before Jeralt came up to them, looking somewhat out of place himself. He sighed. “Never been much for parties. I think you got that from me.”

Aloysia frowned. “It’s almost over, right?”

Jeralt laughed. “I wish, kid. It’s only just started. It’ll be a few more hours.”

“_Hours? _” Byleth whined. “We’ve already talked to so many people.”

“Not sure I would call the ten words you’ve said _ talking_.” Jeralt grinned at his kids, the two already looking exhausted. He tousled their hair to get a rise out of them, giving a laugh as they both swatted him away. “Chin up, you two. You’ve got more people who want to talk to you.”

The twins both stiffened immediately, turning to see who Jeralt was referring to. Their shoulders sagged the tiniest bit in relief as they saw the blue and red outfits of Dimitri and Edelgard approaching.

The two nobles gave short bows, before Edelgard said, “The archbishop told us that you’ve accepted teaching positions here. I look forward to learning from you this year.”

“You know,” Dimitri said with a smile, “when we all talked about the both of you joining us here, teaching was not at all how we expected you to do so. It will certainly be strange having to already change how we refer to you.”

“Have you decided which houses you will head?” Edelgard asked. Though her tone was calm and detached, the eager shine in her eyes betrayed her curiosity.

Aloysia and Byleth looked at each other for a second before facing their company once again. “Apart from the two of you and Claude, we know nothing else about the houses or the other students,” Aloysia said, voice not much louder than a mumble.

“Well, I am certain the two of us can remedy that, at least. Would you mind joining us for a while?” Dimitri looked between the two, patiently waiting for them to give an honest answer.

When the twins hesitated, Edelgard added, “We would only introduce you to the second-year students tonight. There are only a handful of us. If you prefer, you need only meet one house at a time.”

“Sounds like a great idea,” Jeralt nodded. The twins shot slight glares in his direction. He shrugged. “You two have to decide sooner or later who you’ll teach. This seems like the best way to meet your future students.”

Aloysia sighed, her face dropping back to neutral. She looked to Dimitri. “I will accompany you..._if_...you tell me more about why you so wrongly think the lance is better than the sword.”

Dimitri huffed a laugh, offering her his arm. “Well then. I think I can manage that as well. Starting with, the lance can be easily used long range…”

As Aloysia and Dimitri walked away, Edelgard gave Byleth a small smile. “We would be honored if you would agree to speak with us, Professor.”

Byleth nodded. “Unlike my sister, I haven’t prepared any quizzes for you yet. If you’ll forgive my lack of foresight, I would be _ honored _ to speak with you and your classmates.”

Edelgard flushed at the echo of her words, embarrassed by her word choice. She quickly cleared her throat and said, “If you’ll follow me.”

She easily wove through the crowd, headed towards the other side of the room, Byleth close behind. After a moment, they came upon a small group of students by one of the tables set up. All of them sported the same formal black uniforms, but with the same red highlights Edelgard wore. The majority of them were egging on a boy with blue hair, who was attempting to fit an unreasonably large stack of cookies into his mouth at one time.

“A-are you sure this is a good idea?” a girl with purple hair asked timidly. “I mean, he could choke…”

“I am believing in Caspar!” a girl with a burgundy tattoo under her eye insisted.

“Everyone!” Edelgard said, louder than necessary. The group whirled to face her, startled; the blue-haired boy, Caspar, did indeed start to choke. “I would like to introduce you to someone.”

“Edie, you’re back!” a girl sporting an artfully crooked hat exclaimed, slapping Caspar’s back harder than necessary.

Caspar coughed and wheezed, spitting out a large chunk of cookie before taking a ragged breath. “Thanks, Dorothea.”

“You are all acting disgracefully in front of Lady Edelgard,” a tall student with black hair berated, shaking his head. “I’m pleased to see you rejoin us unscathed, Lady Edelgard. I was just about to come find you.”

Edelgard suppressed a small laugh. “Hubert, I was only gone for a few minutes. This is an academy reception; we’re not in danger here.”

“The only thing we’re in danger of is being kept up too late tonight,” another boy yawned. “So who is this you’re introducing to us?”

“_Clearly _ one of the new professors,” a redheaded boy proclaimed confidently. “You know, as nobles, it is our duty to be well-informed, so you ought to…”

“This is Professor Byleth,” Edelgard introduced, cutting the redhead off mid-sentence. “He saved my life when the bandits attacked us.”

“You have my deepest gratitude,” Hubert said, bowing deeply.

Byleth stared blankly at the group, unsure of what to say and how to receive such gratitude. Before he could collect himself enough to respond, the shy girl gave an unexpected scream, jumping away from a student who’d bumped into her. She quivered in fear, hiding behind the girl with the tattoo and whimpering. Caspar immediately jumped into a fighting stance, clearly ready to fight whatever had scared the girl. 

Edelgard sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Professor, these are the second-year students of the Black Eagle house.”

* * *

“See, but you can’t throw a sword at a marksman, so how would you take him out?” Dimitri asked as he lead Aloysia through the crowd of people.

Aloysia scoffed. “You remind me of Byleth. Is it not possible to learn a ranged attack method separately? I would simply set him on fire.”

“That could lead to a surrounding fire, though. However, we shall have to continue this conversation later. It appears my classmates are right over there.” Dimitri pointed to a group of students who were huddled together, whispering and looking at something across the room. “I do have to say, I am not entirely sure what they are doing.”

At Dimitri’s frown, Aloysia paid more attention. The group seemed to be focused on a red-haired student who was sauntering in the direction of one of the nuns.

As the two approached the group, Dimitri looked to the tallest student, who appeared disinterested in what the others were discussing. “Dedue, what is everyone —”

“Shhhh!” A small girl with looped red hair turned around to shush him. “Sorry, Your Highness, but this is very important.”

“Excuse me for a moment,” Dimitri said to Aloysia, patting her hand before untangling their arms so he could huddle with his classmates. “And what, may I ask, is the important thing Sylvain is doing? I can’t imagine it is going to end well for him.”

A girl with a long blonde braid shook her head and said, “Sylvain was dared to try to convince a nun to go out with him. Of course, he took the bait. Now we’re just waiting to see what happens.”

“And _ who _ dared Sylvain to do this?” Dimitri asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I did, boar,” a boy with a black ponytail curtly said. “I got tired of his antics. He needed to be taken down a peg or two.”

“I think this would be the definition of antics,” Dedue said, expression never changing.

“Plus, Felix!” a female student added with a calm, motherly tone. “He’s your friend. There must be a better way to handle this.”

“Yes, I agree with Mercedes,” a mousy grey-haired boy said from the middle of the group. “However, I am also very interested to see how one of the nuns will react to his...advances.”

At this, the group once again quieted and focused their attention on their friend. He was well out of hearing range, but he was his gestures and body language showed he was trying his hardest, and something he said earned a laugh from the nun. It almost seemed as though it would work out in his favor, when a familiar head of green hair began to head through the crowd towards the boy.

“Oh, now _ this _ should be good,” the boy named Felix said. “I’m not even sure Ingrid will have to scold him after this.”

“That will be a welcome change,” the girl with the braid — Ingrid — said. “I think he would prefer it to what’s coming, though.”

As they continued to watch, Seteth came up behind Sylvain, who seemed blissfully unaware of his presence. The nun stopped laughing and bowed her head, a blush spreading up her cheeks. Sylvain clearly went to ask what was wrong when Seteth made himself known. The boy jumped, turning quickly around and stammering an apology. Despite this, Seteth took him by the ear and began leading him back to the group, who hurriedly tried to appear nonchalant. 

When the two reached the rest of the group, Seteth released Sylvain, who began massaging his reddening ear. “Dimitri, try to keep such situations within your class to a minimum, if you would.”

“It wasn’t his fault, Seteth,” Ingrid jumped in, giving the older man a deep bow in apology. “He had stepped away when this all happened and only returned a moment ago.”

“I appreciate your honesty. Now, Sylvain,” the man said, turning a stern gaze to the boy. “See that it doesn’t happen again.”

“Of course, sir. Sorry again,” Sylvain said, giving a quick bow. Seteth hummed noncommittally before walking away. The group seemed to freeze for a moment watching him go, but once he was far out of sight, they all burst into laughter. Even Dimitri hid a smile, and Aloysia thought she saw Dedue’s lips twitch up in the corners. A couple students laughed so hard that they had doubled over, and the redheaded girl had tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Annette, breathe,” the motherly student said through giggles, patting her friend’s back.

Annette didn’t seem to be listening, wheezing out, “Did you see Seteth’s _ face_?”

“Yes. Ha ha, very funny,” Sylvain said, a smile on his face despite his embarrassment. “What I want to know is why His Highness didn’t say he would be returning with a beautiful woman. And who, may I ask, do we have the pleasure of meeting?”

Felix smacked his friend in the head. “Idiot. She’s one of the new professors, or did you hear nothing the archbishop said earlier?”

“Ah! Right. Apologies, everyone,” Dimitri said, schooling his face back to what Aloysia noticed was his practiced people-smile. “This is Professor Aloysia. I had brought her over here to introduce her to everyone. I was not expecting to return to...this.”

He turned to her, and his smile seemed to brighten the smallest bit. “And professor, may I introduce to you the Blue Lions!”

* * *

Byleth had been chatting with the Black Eagles for a while after formal introductions had finally been made when he noticed a student adorned in a familiar yellow cape half-dragging Aloysia over his way.

“Princess!” Claude called toward Edelgard, successfully getting her attention. “I told His Royalness that he couldn’t monopolize all Lady Teach’s time. I would like to say the same about you and Sir Teach. Would you mind if I whisked him away?”

Byleth scowled. “Only if you never call me that again.”

Claude shrugged with a smirk. “No can do. It already stuck. You are now Sir Teach whether or not you approve.”

Byleth shifted his glare to Aloysia, who gave a shrug as well. _ He had already come up with this by the time he dragged me off_.

“Claude, you cannot talk to the professors like that! As a fellow noble, you should know that a form of address —” the redheaded boy, Ferdinand, began to chide.

“I’ll get right on that,” Claude nodded, clearly not listening. He looped an elbow around Byleth’s. “If you’ll excuse us, the Teaches need to meet the best house.”

Before Ferdinand could manage a coherent protest, Claude was dragging Byleth and Aloysia away towards a group of students with gold accents on their uniforms. Most of them were sitting on or around one of the wooden tables set against the wall. In front of the group stood a student who was large in every sense of the word. From the sound of it, he was trying to convince a timid blue-haired girl to agree to be part of a lifting exercise.

“Come on, Marianne,” the large boy said. “You know I won’t drop you. I’m just trying to prove that I can lift the whole house at once!”

“Ummm...I don’t th-think this would be the b-best time for such things,” the girl named Marianne said rather quietly.

“Plus,” a purple-haired boy drawled, “without Claude here, it isn’t really the whole house.”

“And that’s where you’re wrong, Lorenz!” Claude announced as he dragged the twins up. “Your fearless — no, not quite right — _amazing _ leader has returned. And what is this I hear about Raphael lifting the whole house? Seems like it’s a good thing I’m back so we can prove you right.”

Raphael pumped his fist. “Great timing, Claude! Now, let’s do this!”

“Oh oh oh! Me first!” A girl with long pink pigtails jumped up from where she sat on the tabletop. “I want a bicep!”

“Sure thing, Hilda! Up you go!” Raphael scooped Hilda up so that she sat on his bicep easily. She seemed quite at ease, as if he were her throne. “Who’s next?”

“Me,” a girl with short red hair stated. “Your other bicep logically will have the most stability.”

Once she was in place, a blonde boy with glasses came over. “I remember you convincing me and Maya to do things like this. I’ll be next to Leonie.”

The boy hopped up next to the redhead and settled himself in the crook of Raphael’s elbow. Hilda looked offended. “Ignatz! You didn’t want to sit next to me?”

Looking suitably chastised, the boy opened his mouth to apologize when the timid girl said, “Actually, I was h-hoping I could sit n-next to you, Hilda…”

“Aw! Of course, Marianne! Get up here. I’ll keep you safe,” Hilda said with a smile, patting the elbow space next to her. Marianne gently climbed up, and Hilda wrapped an arm around her.

The boy who had protested earlier began to walk up as Marianne secured herself. “Well, it would not be proper of me to hold an ally back from finding success in their singular area of expertise.”

“How nice to say, Lorenz!” Raphael beamed, as the haughty Lorenz perched on his forearm. 

Leonie scoffed. “It wasn’t nice, Raph. Lorenz, shut it. Just have fun for once.”

Lorenz huffed and looked away with a scowl. Claude chuckled, disentangling his arms from the twins’. “We’re a fun bunch, yeah? Excuse me for a moment while I take my place.”

The noble strutted his way down to Raphael’s other arm, punching Lorenz in the shoulder as he walked by and smiling when the boy turned the scowl his way. “Ignatz! I’m sure you won’t mind having to sit next to poor old me, would you?”

Ignatz gave a bright laugh. “Of course not, Claude. Plenty of room for all!”

“Well, there’s none for me!” a younger girl with a shock of long white hair complained as Claude was sitting down.

“Sure there is! You can sit on my shoulders! I used to carry Maya around like that all the time when we were little!”

“_Little_?!” the girl shrieked. “Do you _ want _ to make it through the night, Raphael?”

“Awww. He didn’t mean it like that, Lysithea. Plus, you still have plenty of time to outgrow all these boys, then you’ll be the one laughing,” Hilda said soothingly. The girl, seemingly named Lysithea, seemed to lose some of her fight.

“Oh, alright. You’re going to have to squat down a bit, though, Raphael.”

“Perfect! That just adds to the challenge!” Raphael cheered, slowly lowering himself. Lysithea hoisted herself up to perch on his shoulders. Next thing the class knew, Raphael was standing up and lifting them all with only a slight strain. “Alright! Next it will have to be all the houses!”

Claude laughed. “One goal at a time, big guy.”

“Just trying to think big, Claude. Isn’t that what you’ve been telling us to do?” Raphael gave a great laugh that shook his whole frame, disrupting everyone he had just lifted. Most of the students simply held tighter to each other, but Lorenz had been sitting so as not to touch anyone at all, and he began to lose his balance. His eyes widened dramatically, and he latched onto Marianne’s arm in a last-ditch attempt to keep from falling.

Marianne gasped at the unexpected contact, losing her own balance in the process. As she fell, Hilda, who was holding onto her, began to fall with her, causing a sudden imbalance that had Raphael going down with them. Within moments, the entire house was on the floor, groaning and complaining. Marianne sat up quickly, a blush darkening her face.

“I’m so sorry, everyone,” she murmured. “I lost my balance...”

Hilda shushed her gently. “It’s fine, Marianne. You couldn’t have known that _ Lorenz _ was going to suddenly grab you like that.”

“I’m sorry, but some of us have a sense of _ self preservation_,” Lorenz drawled, dusting himself off as he stood. He held out his hand to Marianne to help her stand. “I do apologize, Marianne. I had no such intention of shocking you so.”

“And what about us, hm?” Leonie said, lifting her head up to glare at Lorenz from where she was sprawled.

“I stand by my original apology,” Lorenz said, now looking incredibly interested in fixing his outfit.

Before more of the class could begin to argue with the boy, clapping was heard. “Well, that was quite a show.”

Dimitri walked up smiling, the rest of the Blue Lions in tow. “Quite a performance to give to the newest faculty members. Tell me, professors. How does this make you feel about the Golden Deer house?”

“Oh, right!” Claude scrambled up to stand and dramatically opened his arms. “Meet the Golden Deer!”

“You had yet to even introduce them yet?” Edelgard said, her house following close behind. “That is certainly one first impression you can make.”

“I thought it was great!” Sylvain said. He slung an arm around Dimitri’s shoulders. “And now I think His Highness should prove he can do the same.”

Sylvain yelped when Ingrid slapped him, and Dimitri turned bright red, attempting to stutter out some sort of negative response. The students from the three houses began to rib each other, laughing and carrying on while the twins slid each other a look.

_ You know, this might not be quite as bad as we thought_, Aloysia thought, a bit of a twinkle in her eye that Byleth only rarely got to see.

Byleth smirked at her. _ Possibly not. Perhaps we may even enjoy it._

* * *

It was a while before they were brought out of their discussions by a now-well-known booming voice. “Alright, you all. Let’s get you back to the dorms. The archbishop has already so kindly let you all stay out here past curfew.”

Everyone looked around, shocked to notice that the reception hall had completely cleared out aside from the knights who were putting everything back in order. Alois was watching them all with a beam.

“Apologies, Alois,” Edelgard said with a bow. “We must have lost track of time. We will head back to our rooms in just a moment.”

“Of course!” Alois said, nodding. He went to turn away when he quickly turned back to look at the twins, who had found themselves sitting on the floor surrounded by students. “I almost forgot! Lady Rhea would like to speak with you two in her audience chamber before you head off to bed. I can accompany you there, if you’d like.”

“It’s alright, Alois,” Aloysia said, standing up and stretching. “We remember the way there.”

“You should get some rest,” Byleth agreed. “You’ve been very busy today, and you were on the road for some time.”

Alois gave them a gentle smile. “That’s very kind of you both. It’s moments like these where I see your mother in you.”

Byleth and Aloysia gave the man identical stares, unsure what to say — they knew hardly anything of their mother, not even her name.

They were just about to ask him to elaborate when he said, “Well, I think I will take you up on that suggestion. Have a good night, everyone!”

A chorus of “goodnights” followed Alois as he headed out, while the twins stood frozen for a moment. A gentle voice brought them out of their thoughts. “Um...it was nice t-to talk to you both, professors. E-even if you don’t choose our class, I will be excited to learn from you this year.”

Marianne gave them a slight bow before excusing herself to go to bed. More students followed her example, coming up to tell the two young professors goodnight. Finally, it was only the three house leaders left. “I hope you two enjoyed the evening at least some,” Dimitri said.

Byleth nodded. “It did turn out to be more enjoyable than expected.”

“I, for one, can’t wait to see what classes you’ll walk into tomorrow. I have an idea, but let’s keep it a surprise, shall we?” Claude gave them a wink. “I’m going to head off. Need my beauty rest if I’m going to keep up this year.”

“True for me as well. I won’t be any good to spar or practice if I’m half asleep. Goodnight, professors,” Dimitri said with a bow. Claude bowed as well and the two walked out, seemingly content with no conversation.

Edelgard gave them her small smile. “This year already appears as if it will be interesting. I will be waiting to see what unfolds. I bid you both a good night.”

They watched the young noble leave and turned to exit the hall in the other direction. As they entered the audience chambers from the stairs, Rhea turned to them. “Ah. I am glad to see you both. I hope you enjoyed tonight’s festivities?”

The twins nodded and walked up to stand next to a woman in a long dress that somehow appeared to not cover very much. Her eyes lit up when she saw them. “You two must be Professors Byleth and Aloysia. So nice to meet you both. I’m Manuela. I work as both a professor and the main healer for the students. Let me know if you need anything.”

Manuela looked Byleth up and down in a way that had his eyes widening. Aloysia coughed, hiding a scoff.

“Now that you have all been introduced, let us discuss tomorrow. I’m sure we would all like to get some rest before classes tomorrow,” Rhea said with her serene smile. “If no one objects, I would like to ask for Byleth and Aloysia to pick their classes first.”

When no one objected, she asked, “Have you made your decisions?”

The twins looked at each other for a moment and smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are also sorry for the gradually lengthening class conversations. The Black Eagles will get a lot of time in the future along with the Blue Lions, so rest assured, you will see plenty of all of the characters. We appreciate everyone who has been reading along. Comment your thoughts! We will strive to have the next chapter up faster. 
> 
> Next up: two young adults learn how to teach having never attended a school before.


	6. An Introductory Lesson

**Part One: Alabaster Dusk**

**An Introductory Lesson**

_ Great Tree Moon, 1180 _

The church bells rang out through the crisp early air, finally signaling to Aloysia that she could get out of bed. She flew through her morning routine, heart hammering equally as fast. Within minutes, she found herself strolling through the adjoining door to Byleth’s room, one they had left open out of habit. The lump under the bedsheets indicated her brother was still sound asleep.

“Well, he certainly is off to a good start,” Sothis said, looking blearily from her throne.

Aloysia scowled. _ You’re one to talk. You were asleep for how long? _

Sothis glared and huffed at her, but Aloysia ignored her, sitting on the edge of Byleth’s bed and shaking his shoulder gently. “Byleth. First day of class, come on. They won’t take us seriously if we’re late.”

Aloysia waited for a moment, but her brother’s soft snoring didn’t even hitch. She gave a sigh, resigned to have to use one of her meaner tactics to wake him. Before she could go for a glass of water, however, Sothis chimed in. “Allow me! This should be fun…”

Aloysia frowned a bit as Sothis left the area she could see her in. Both the room and her head were silent as she waited. Trying to focus on something else, Aloysia closed her eyes, honing in on the sound of various birds calling out as they flew around the monastery grounds. A few more minutes passed before Byleth sat up with a gasp. 

He struggled for a moment to catch his breath then swore under his breath. Sothis came back into Aloysia’s head view, cackling. Byleth glared at the girl, who just sat in her throne, wiping away tears. “Well. It has been ages since I had so much fun. Now go on! You two have places to be, do you not?”

The reminder snapped Aloysia back into the moment, and she grabbed Byleth’s arm, yanking him out of bed. “Class is soon. We must be ready and on time.”

“On time?” Byleth mumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “We’re the teachers...don’t they have to wait for us?”

“You’re missing the point,” Aloysia snapped. “Hurry and get ready.”

_ Scaring me out of my dream and immediately pulling me out of bed...a wonderful first day, _Byleth grumbled as he obeyed, quickly changing into his usual outfit. Before he could even finish putting his axe on his belt, Aloysia was dragging him out the door. He quickly sorted himself out to fall in step with her, and they subtly followed the other students they recognized to what they assumed were the classrooms.

_ We should have scoped this out last night_. Aloysia frowned in thought. Byleth shrugged in response, glancing at the surrounding dorms and the training hall as they passed them. 

The two continued to take in the monastery and its ground when suddenly, Byleth stopped walking and gasped. Aloysia whipped around to see Byleth kneeling down, looking at something. As she walked closer, she saw a small calico cat rubbing against Byleth’s shins, purring loudly as he pet it.

Aloysia was about to comment on how nice the cat seemed to be, when Sothis began cooing. “Awwww. Look at this sweet one! I always loved cats during my time in Fódlan. It is good to know there are some around the monastery. We will have to play with them later, though. Off to class first. Do not give your students a bad impression this early.”

Byleth huffed and rolled his eyes, giving a small pout as they walked away from their new friend. After following the students just a little further, they ended up in a courtyard. Students were milling around on benches or standing in groups, talking with friends. Off to the side was a hall with three large classrooms. From the other end of the courtyard, they heard someone call out, “Lady Teach! Sir Teach!”

Claude waved at them with a bright smile, sauntering over to where they stood taking in their surroundings. They both looked at him blank-faced, which seemed to amuse him even more. “You both look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning. Can’t say the same for some of your students.”

He glanced over to the side where a student, who Byleth had learned was named Linhardt, was asleep leaning against a column. Byleth gave a bit of a sigh, and Aloysia shook her head in amusement. Claude gave a laugh and put his hands behind his head. “I’ve gotta say, Teaches, I’m sad you didn’t pick the Golden Deer.”

The twins opened their mouths to start defending their decisions when Claude laughed again. “I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad. I had a feeling this is how it would go. Just make sure to keep us in mind for missions, yeah?” Claude winked, then motioned for them to follow him to the classroom nearby. “Feels like I could learn a thing or two from you both. Make sure to take care of His Princeliness and Miss Perfection, will you? They may seem put together, but we all need a little guidance around here.”

“The first thing _ you _ need to learn is stealth. If you’re going to say something unflattering about someone, at least make sure they aren’t within earshot,” Edelgard said, with the slightest of frowns.

“But princess! I said nothing of the sort,” Claude replied, holding a hand to his chest as if wounded. “I have only said we all have much to learn, and that will be true no matter how old we get. Plus, I think your shrieking could use a stealth lesson.”

Edelgard gave Claude a withering glare, but before she could speak, a voice floated out of the classroom. “Von Riegan, you may be important to the Alliance, but I will not hesitate to cut you down for Lady Edelgard.”

Claude, who had been laughing at Edelgard’s expression, gulped and put on the overly charming smile he often seemed to wear. The boy who had worried about Edelgard the prior night strode out of the classroom, standing just a step behind the princess’ shoulder. _ Hubert. He’s been Edelgard’s retainer his whole life, apparently_, Byleth told Aloysia. _ He seems overly protective, from what I gathered last night. _

Aloysia snorted in her mind. _ Reminds me of someone. Who could it be, Sothis? _

“No idea,” the girl said, with an impish grin. Byleth sent them both a slight glare. Everyone around them seemed to be in a staring contest of their own. 

After a painfully long silence, Claude gave a small chuckle. “Well, this was a fun morning, but I should get to class before I’m late. Can’t be the bad example, now can I? Lady Teach, may I accompany you for the next 50 feet to your classroom?”

Claude held out his arm for Aloysia, who gave a nod as she took his invitation. Before they walked away, she turned to Byleth. _ Have a good day, professor. _

Byleth rolled his eyes. _ You too. Try not to make a fool of yourself. Could be difficult for you. _

With a glare, Aloysia turned around, walking away with Claude. Byleth was about to enjoy his victory when she called over her shoulder, “Shouldn’t be too difficult. _ I’m _not the fool of the family.”

Sothis cackled at the interaction, while Claude barked out a laugh at the seemingly impromptu comment. He and Aloysia continued down the hall, leaving Byleth glaring at their backs. The Black Eagle’s new professor then heard a voice whisper, “Lady Edelgard, are they telepathic?”

Byleth turned in time to see Edelgard walk into the classroom with a blunt, “Yes. You will soon find yourself used to it. Are you joining us, professor?”

Steeling himself, Byleth took a deep breath, walking into what was now _ his _classroom.

* * *

“Professor Aloysia, will you sit with us for lunch?” Aloysia turned to Ingrid, who was strolling next to her toward the dining hall for lunch. “We would certainly enjoy the opportunity to get to know you better.”

“Yeah, professor!” Sylvain said, sliding up next to Aloysia and slinging an arm around her shoulders. “We would really — AH! Ow ow ow.”

“Lesson one about me,” Aloysia said, giving a squeeze to Sylvain’s arm, which she had twisted behind his back. “Surprises will not be received well.”

Felix gave a snort as he walked by without pause. “You’ll be teaching him that every day. He’s an idiot like that.”

“Feliiiiiiix,” Sylvain whined, rubbing his shoulder as Aloysia released it. “Why do you say such lies about me? You’ll make me think you hate me.”

“I do hate you,” Felix said, leaving it at that as he walked into the dining hall. 

Sylvain grinned. “He says the nicest things. Don’t worry, professor. I’ll make sure he sits with us.”

As Sylvain trotted off to continue pestering Felix, Ingrid sighed. “And I’ll go make sure that doesn’t turn into a murder.”

“I’ll come help, Ingrid,” Mercedes said, jogging to catch up. “I know they give you just as much of a hard time.”

Aloysia sighed as the two girls walked off, chatting happily despite their current mission. She looked to the remaining half of the class as they entered the hall. “Hopefully that will be all of today’s drama?”

Annette giggled. “With Sylvain around, we never really know. Plus, you won’t see real drama until you’ve seen one of his breakups.”

“Very true, Annette,” Dimitri said with a smile. “Sylvain’s conquests would not be a drama, though. I imagine they would fall into the comedy category. His breakup on the last day of finals last year was truly a sight.”

“Yet he somehow learned no lesson from it,” Dedue commented in his usual flat tone. Aloysia was pretty sure it was the only thing he had said today. She made a mental note to work on that, as she could relate. 

Ashe interrupted her thoughts with a sigh. “I missed that. I was still in my exam at the time. Dorothea did an incredibly well-acted retelling of it, though.”

“She’s in my brother’s class, correct?” Aloysia asked as they reached the table the rest of her class was sitting at. She tried to recall more about the girl from their brief interactions the night before but could only remember her being very spirited in her conversations.

“Who were you asking about, professor?” Mercedes asked. She was sitting between Sylvain and Felix, clearly making sure they would not start anything while they ate.

“Dorothea,” Dimitri said as he sat. “And yes, she is a Black Eagle. I imagine she and the others in her class will have much to learn from your brother, considering we certainly have much to learn from you.”

Aloysia’s eyes widened. She had never really thought she had much to share before being suddenly hired, although she was glad to know her students seemed to agree with Rhea’s assessment.

“We will see how much learning I really need after we spar,” Felix said, sounding almost bored. Ingrid rolled her eyes in response.

“Felix. Can we at least let our new professor get used to the monastery before you challenge her?”

“A true swordmaster should not need comfort to fight well.” Felix looked to Aloysia as if waiting for input.

“That is true,” she said. “One thing you will all learn over the year is how to quickly strategize in locations you have never been before. When taking missions, familiarity with the area can be helpful but isn’t crucial.”

As Aloysia spoke, her students silently watched, seeming to hang on every word. It was strange to have so many people look to her for guidance, but the more she spoke of battle preparations, the easier her words began to flow. Maybe she could do this after all.

* * *

“This is the training hall,” Edelgard announced, as the group walked into a large, open hall with a dusty stone floor. “I imagine you’ll come to be as familiar with it as we are, Professor.”

“W-why are we in the training hall?” Bernadetta asked, visibly trembling. “It’s only the first day of classes! S-shouldn’t we...read...or something first?”

“This morning we discussed your goals for the school year. Now I’d like to see where you currently are,” Byleth said. “We should have enough time today for a few sparring sessions. I hope to get a good gauge of how you are in both close and ranged combat.”

“YES!” Caspar yelled, fist pumping. “It’s been way too long since I got to have a good fight!”

Linhardt sighed heavily. “It’s been...less than a month since we finished finals.”

“Yeah. Way too long!” Caspar nodded.

“I am agreeing with Caspar!” Petra agreed enthusiastically. “It is not a good idea to be going a long time without training. We do not want our skills to be dirty!”

Byleth blinked at Petra, not quite following her meaning. Dorothea quickly leaned close to Petra, whispering something in her ear, and Petra flushed before blurting, “Rusty! We do not want our skills to be rusty!”

Edelgard nodded. “Petra is right. We should be careful not to become complacent. Would you like us to choose our pairs, Professor, or will you decide them?”

“If we are given the opportunity to choose, I would like to spar with Ferdinand,” Hubert said, leveling a cold glare at Ferdinand. “He recently made some...comments I have yet to repay him for.”

Byleth had never seen someone pale as quickly as Ferdinand did. The redhead took a step away from Hubert, spluttering, “I tell you, yet again, that was a _ joke! _ I have no need to get rid of Edelgard, when I can easily prove I am better!”

Hubert’s look grew even darker, his jaw clenching as he glowered at Ferdinand. Dorothea stepped in between the two, asking brightly, “So, Professor, who are we sparring with first?”

“Right,” Byleth nodded. He paused, looking between all of his students, trying to assess strengths and weaknesses to make the pairs that he really should have thought of prior to this. “Well...let’s start by pairing close-range fighters with long-range. Petra, you’ll spar with Bernadetta.”

Petra nodded, while Bernadetta let out a thin, nervous whine. Byleth continued, “Caspar, let’s have you spar...Linhardt.”

Linhardt sighed heavily at the loud whoop Caspar let out. “Ugh. This will be tiresome.”

“Dorothea, you’ll be with Ferdinand,” Byleth said. He paused, surprised by the unnervingly sweet smile Dorothea was giving a worried Ferdinand, before finishing with, “Which leaves Edelgard sparring with Hubert.”

Edelgard, to his surprise, sighed. She sounded tired as she complained, “Professor, are you sure?”

Byleth surveyed the odd collection of expressions on his students’ faces before finally answering, “...yes?”

“I-I’m with Edelgard, Professor,” Bernadetta added, barely audible. “I really don’t th-think this is a good idea…”

“Quit complaining!” Caspar called, already retrieving training gauntlets from one of the weapons racks. “Let’s get started already!”

* * *

The courtyard was filled with chatter as classes let out for the day, some students more worse for wear than others. On their way to the dining hall, Aloysia noticed Byleth nearby with the Black Eagles trudging behind him. Her own class was animatedly talking about how the remainder of the week could go, but she tuned them out. _ Rough first day? _

Byleth looked around for a moment before spotting her. His shoulders drooped a little, as if finally acknowledging the thought himself. _ Very. Your group seems cheerful enough, though. _

_ Apparently nearly dislocating someone’s shoulder, then talking about locational strategy is an oddly effective way to win them over. You should try it. _ Aloysia looked at the Black Eagles again, noticing for the first time their odd condition — half were still perfectly put together, and half looked like they’d lost a fight — and raised an eyebrow. _ Or maybe you tried to fight your class already? _

Byleth scoffed, confusing the few students around him. _ I am apparently not a great judge of sparring partners. _

“I’ll say!” Sothis cut in. “I have _ never _ seen simple sparring matches go downhill quite so quickly. It was certainly a sight of some sort.”

Aloysia covered her mouth with her hand to hide the amusement she felt, but jumped in surprise when she felt a large arm pull her into a side hug. A familiar laugh shook through the person’s body. “Only half a day, and you’re already flinching away from your dad? What have those kids done to you?”

Aloysia rolled her eyes, which just made Jeralt laugh more. “Tell your brother he’s sitting with us for dinner. I want you both to tell me all about your first day of school.”

Through the students surrounding them, Aloysia saw Byleth roll his eyes as well at the relayed message but responded that he would make sure to join them. Aloysia turned to her students. “Well, enjoy your evening. I will see you all in the morning. Please continue to be on time.”

Ingrid forcibly looped her arm through Sylvain’s and smiled. “Don’t worry, Professor. I’ll make sure this one gets there.” 

“Ingrid,” Sylvain griped, tugging at his arm. “I’m not a kid. I can get myself to class.”

“We’ll believe it when we see it!” Annette said with a laugh. Aloysia huffed fondly at her students’ bickering, and turned back to follow her father into the dining hall she was already getting used to. Byleth managed to grab his food and find an empty table before them. Aloysia slid in next to him with her own food, purposefully nudging his shoulder.

Jeralt began to dig into his fish upon sitting down, apparently hungry after a long day of training knights. After a few minutes of content silence, he looked up and asked, “So, how were your first days?"

Aloysia snorted. “Ask Byleth.”

“Thanks, Aly,” Byleth said with a glare. “Not all of us can have perfect first days.”

Aloysia took a breath to retort, but Byleth quickly silenced her by shoving a roll in her mouth. Her withering look said all the things she couldn’t say aloud, and Byleth simply smiled innocently in response.

“All right, all right. Enough, you two. At least be a good example when the students can see you,” Jeralt admonished with a roll of his eyes. 

Sure enough, when the two turned around to where all three second-year classes sat a few tables away, they noticed many heads turn hastily to talk to their neighbors. All but Raphael at least, who seemed to notice everyone’s quick attempt at subtlety a moment too late. As he turned around, they noticed him snatch a roll off of Ignatz’s plate saying, “That looked super good. Hope you didn’t plan to eat it.”

Ignatz elbowed him in the side, which only earned him a loud laugh in response. 

The twins shook their heads in tandem and turned back to their father, who was clearly waiting for a response. He gave them a large grin. “Aw, come on, By. Tell your old man what happened. Sometimes I can come up with good advice.”

“Oh? News to me,” Aloysia said. 

Before Jeralt could even react, a loud voice broke in with “He’s certainly given me plenty of good advice over the years!”

Jeralt sighed as Alois clapped his hands on Aloysia’s shoulders. “Why, when I was just starting as—”

He suddenly stopped, blinking a few times at Jeralt, then saying, “Well, I best be on my way. It looks like...something important...might be happening near the pond...maybe.”

As he hurried off, Jeralt laughed. “Wow. I didn’t know my dad look was still that effective. Now, what were you going to tell me, Byleth? And by that I mean no sass from your sister.”

Byleth hesitated for a moment before sighing heavily. “Fine. I thought the morning introductions went well, but I apparently didn’t learn enough to make good pairs for sparring. It was a disaster. Hubert wouldn’t even fight Edelgard, Bernadetta started crying, Dorothea _ actually _ tried to kill Ferdinand — and I had to carry him to Manuela for healing — and somehow in the middle of all that, Linhardt managed to sneak off to _ nap!_”

“Okay,” Aloysia started, “When you said ‘bad,’ I didn’t know you meant..._ that_.” 

Jeralt blinked in surprise. “Huh. I guess it can’t get worse, at least?”

“_Dad_,” Aloysia said with a sharp look. Byleth dropped his head into his hands. She patted him on the back gently with a, “Don’t listen to him. This teaches you a lot, and now you know. They don’t expect you to be perfect instantly.”

“Okay, then, how’d _ your _ day go?” Byleth asked petulantly, refusing to look up.

“Oh! Um,” Aloysia sat back a bit, color creeping up her cheeks. “My day went fine, actually.”

Jeralt smiled at his daughter. “What did you all do?”

Aloysia thought back. “Well, we started with introductions and a basic rehashing of what they learned in their first year so I could have some sort of idea about their skill level. During lunch, we somehow managed to start a discussion about locational strategy, so I continued our discussion through the afternoon. I had them create a strategy based on a location none of them had been to before, and aside from typical bickering, they figured out a decently good attack plan.”

As Aloysia spoke, Byleth buried his face deeper and deeper in his arms, until his forehead hit the table with a defeated _ thunk_. His words were muffled as he mimicked, “They don’t expect you to be perfect instantly. Right.”

“Oh, come on, By. One good day won’t last forever. Trust me, you’ll have plenty of laughs at my expense in the future.” Aloysia received no response, so she hauled him up from the table while Jeralt grabbed their empty dishes. “Come on. We can take a walk or go to this amazing library Annette kept telling me about. Or we can go fishing!”

“No.”

Jeralt returned to Aloysia still pestering her brother, who was pointedly refusing to look up from the table. She was saying, “Or maybe we could…”

“NO.”

“Okay, you two,” Jeralt said, wrapping a child under each arm. “Since you can’t make a decision, we’re now doing what I want. The three of us are going fishing.”

Jeralt was too distracted by Aloysia giggling hysterically for the first time to notice Byleth’s emphatic “NO!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We sincerely apologize for the long wait! One of us just started a new job and the training schedule didn't allow for much mutual writing time. Future updates will be much faster. Thanks for bearing with us, and we hope this chapter is worth the wait! As always, we appreciate you reading, and any comments and kudos you care to leave.  
Next chapter will feature some more fighting and more school shenanigans.  
UPDATE (as of March 2020): We apologize for the hiatus (so much for next chapter being fast, right?) but we’ll be back soon! Big thanks to those who’ve kept reading and commenting - you helped us get our butts back in gear to keep writing!


	7. Strategy

**Part One: Alabaster Dusk**

**Strategy**

_ Great Tree Moon, 1180 _

“Attention, students! If you have any intention of winning this mock battle, you had best listen to the rules,” Seteth called, authoritative voice quieting the students’ excited whispers.

“The battle will start when the trumpet sounds. Physical weapons are coated in house-specific pigment, which will show when you have been struck. If you sustain an ‘injury’ that would be considered fatal — that would mean to your head, chest, or abdomen — you are out of the battle. Manuela will be ready to assist with any real injuries that may be sustained.”

Before Seteth could continue speaking, Caspar began to raise his hand. The advisor sighed. “Injuries to multiple limbs _ are _ considered fatal. Does this answer your question, Caspar?”

Caspar silently lowered his hand, looking rather disappointed. Seteth continued, “If one of your limbs is 'injured,' you are not to use it. This also applies to any ‘injury’ sustained by magic, which will be determined according to where the magical residue is left on the student hit.”

“The last house with fighters standing is the victor,” Rhea added with a smile. “It is a great honor to claim the first victory of the school year. I trust you all will fight well and with honor.”

“While we expect you to be honest, the faculty will be watching to ensure fair play,” Seteth said. “Professors, you may now take your students to your respective starting areas. I will give a call in ten minutes for students to move to their positions.”

The groups quickly dispersed, jogging to their areas for final strategy meetings. Aloysia was glad to see that she was just far enough away from Byleth that they wouldn’t be able to hear each other. She turned to her class. “Alright. You all have trained hard these past few weeks. Remember to stay calm and focus not just on fatal hits but weak points as well. Disarming someone can be effective for the group. A weaponless person can still fight, but you will have the advantage.”

“Professor, what do we think of this terrain? The Black Eagles certainly have an advantage with the high point of the field,” Ingrid pointed out. 

Aloysia nodded. “They do have that, but we have these ruins, which are good for cover. The Golden Deer have brush cover, which will keep them concealed more easily, but they will still have vulnerabilities. Watch out for their advancement on the field. I’m unsure of my brother’s strategy, but he could have planned for anything. Just don’t get too separated, hold cover, and I think you all will do just fine.” 

“We will certainly try our hardest, Professor,” Dimitri said with a smile. 

“Definitely!” Annette chirped. “We’ve already learned so much, and the year has only just started!” 

As the students began to chatter, excitement and nerves clear in their voices, Seteth called for the students to take their positions. With another nod, Aloysia joined her brother and the other faculty on one side of the field. Byleth seemed stoic as always, but Aloysia could see the tension in his stance. _ Worried? _

_ Somewhat, as I am before all battles. Plus, it will show whether I have actually managed to teach my students anything. You seem fine, though. _

_ I’m excited. I want to see what everyone has learned. I’m sure it will be fine, By. _She bumped her shoulder against his. 

Byleth’s next thought was interrupted by the sound of the trumpet. The field was suddenly a flurry of yelling and activity. The house leaders were giving orders from their starting positions, and most students began finding cover. 

As expected, the Golden Deer quickly took cover in the bushes while the other two groups set up according to their planned strategies. There were a few seconds of tense silence, everyone waiting for the first strike to come. Byleth tensed next to Aloysia then glanced over at her.

_ Third bush in...see the glint? _

Aloysia shifted a little in the sun until she also saw the reflection of the light on an arrowhead. Before she could even respond, the arrow went flying, arcing over the front line of Black Eagles and hitting Hubert in the left shoulder. 

There was a muffled whoop from multiple Golden Deer within the bushes, but it was short lived. In retaliation, Hubert quickly threw his right hand forward and set the bush on fire. A now slightly charred Ignatz shrieked and jumped away from the bush, patting the remaining embers on his tunic out. 

“You’ll pay for that!” Raphael yelled, jumping out of his bush. The field devolved into chaos. 

Within a few minutes, the sidelines had filled with multiple students receiving healing and grumbling about being out. Caspar and Felix were passionately arguing with Seteth about precisely how many limbs lost constituted as “dead,” while the older man looked deeply tired. Seteth’s sister Flayn, who the twins had only briefly met, was holding an ice pack to Bernadetta’s head. Beside her, Manuela was healing a painful-looking burn on Annette’s arm, and Lorenz — apparently the source of the burn — was apologizing profusely for marring a lady’s delicate skin. Annette was grimacing, although whether it was in pain or annoyance, Aloysia couldn’t tell.

The Black Eagles remaining on the field had planned a well-structured flanking maneuver that pushed the other two houses closer, causing them to fight each other. Out of the cover of the bushes, the Golden Deer were taken out quickly, leaving only the Blue Lions on the defensive. Trying to stick with their professor’s advice, the Blue Lions had stayed in a close-knit group so as not to be easily picked off. However, the advancement of the Black Eagles meant they were now cornered against the walls of the ruins with no means for anyone to escape. 

“Well,” Dorothea said with a slight glint in her eyes, “this should prove easier than expected.”

“Our plan is working perfectly,” Edelgard nodded. “But we can’t be careless. Claude is still hiding somewhere, and until we find him, we must be vigilant.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Sylvain yelled from his spot in the cluster. “Did you say _ Claude is still out here?_”

Dimitri hummed. “That...doesn’t bode well for us.”

“Because this situation _ does_?” Sylvain asked him incredulously. 

“It is seeming good for us,” Petra said with a nod. “We will not back up!”

There was a brief silence on the field, then a snicker from a ways away. With a flick of his hand, Hubert set a tree nearby alight. There was a myriad of cursing followed by a scream as Claude fell out of the tree onto his back. Everyone winced as he groaned. “Keep...going. I’m just...going to lie here for...a bit,” he wheezed. 

Everyone turned back to their opponents, and Dorothea leaned in to whisper to Petra. “Oh!” the girl exclaimed. “We will not back down!”

“Ah. Yes, I see,” Dimitri said. “Well, we will not go down without a fight!”

The fight between the remaining students was long-lasting, each team working hard trying to claim victory for their house. The Blue Lions began to go one-by-one. To the side, Edelgard and Dimitri fought as hard as they could, neither wanting to accept defeat. On a particularly hard downswing of her axe, Edelgard snapped Dimitri’s lance in half, knocking him down in the process. The princess went to swing her finishing blow, but right as she hit, she found the tip of a blunted lance hitting her chest. 

The two looked at each other for a moment before the corner of Edelgard’s mouth turned up in a smile. She offered a hand to help him up with, “Well fought. I should have expected no less.”

Dimitri smiled back. “Thank you. You were a fierce opponent, as always. I would say we will win, but I’m not holding out hope for that.” 

Dimitri looked back to see only Sylvain left on the field for the Blue Lions while Petra, Dorothea and Hubert all converged on him. Petra disarmed him with a flourish of her sword, and Sylvain shrunk back against the wall with a nervous smile. “Please be kind. Have I ever done anyth—”

“Yes,” all three said. 

Sylvain laughed nervously. “Sounds right. How about ‘take pity?’”

“No,” Hubert said with a smirk. The three surrounded him and everyone on the sidelines grimaced as he was swiftly taken down, ending up simply a paint-covered lump on the ground. 

“The Black Eagles house wins the mock battle!” Seteth announced. A cheer went up around the field. The winning class flocked around their professor, who Aloysia could tell was delighted by their win. She was glad to see him feeling better after his rough start to teaching. 

Still jealous, but glad nonetheless. 

* * *

_Harpstring Moon, 1180_

Byleth shuffled into the Black Eagles’ classroom the next morning, still rubbing sleep from his eyes. He wasn’t used to the early mornings, and the excitement from yesterday’s victory had made it difficult for him to sleep. Hopefully Dorothea would be her usual thoughtful self and have a cup of coffee sitting on his desk for him…

“Good morning, Professor!” an aggressively cheerful voice practically yelled from near the door, startling Byleth. Ferdinand, ever the early bird, was in his seat, confident smile in place. Usually he had his supplies set up neatly on his desk before Byleth walked in, but today, it was cluttered with something else entirely.

Food?

“Those...aren’t school supplies,” Byleth observed dumbly.

Dorothea appeared by his side, offering a much-needed cup of coffee. “We wanted to have a little party! Since we won the mock battle!”

“If that’s alright with you, Professor,” Edelgard added quickly.

The students seemed to hold their breath, waiting for a verdict. Byleth took a few gulps of his coffee, then looked back to the group. 

“We’re still having class,” Byleth said. He took another drink of his coffee and added, “...but that can wait at least a little while. I think you’ve earned a celebration.”

“Yes!” Caspar cheered. He turned to high-five Linhardt, who was clearly not ready, and managed to slap his friend instead. “You had me worried there for a second!”

“That could’ve been avoided if you asked yesterday like I told you to,” Linhardt scowled, rubbing the red mark on his face.

“I am liking the surprise!” Petra chimed in, smiling. “It makes the victory more sweeter!”

“Speaking of sweet, Bernie was up all night cooking!” Dorothea said. She beamed at the shy girl, who was trying very hard to disappear into her seat. “We can’t let the food she made go to waste. Let’s dig in!”

“You first, Lady Edelgard,” Hubert said, none-too-gently elbowing Caspar away from the food.

“I think the professor should go first,” Edelgard shook her head. “After all, without him, we very well may not have won.”

“Let’s hear it for the professor!” Caspar exclaimed, grabbing a cup of juice from the table and raising it in the toast. “The best house got the best professor!”

The others laughed in agreement, and Byleth couldn’t help but fondly smile at his students.

* * *

Aloysia strode into her classroom the morning after the mock battle looking through her lesson plans with a fierce concentration. She ignored the many calls of good morning aimed at her as she walked up the aisle. A slightly louder voice broke through her mental wall with, “Uh, Professor?”

“Just a moment, Dimitri,” Aloysia said as she considered rearranging her original plans. 

Before she could decide, a different voice said, “Morning, Lady Teach!”

The young professor stumbled, startled, but regained her footing quickly. After taking a breath, she turned around to see a nervous-looking Dimitri in his usual front row seat, with Claude looking ever so pleased next to him. Aloysia raised an eyebrow when she noticed the entire Golden Deer class was squeezed in with her own. 

“I was going to ask Claude if he got lost this morning, but I know at least a few of you know which classroom is yours. Who can explain in as few words as possible?” Aloysia asked, not ready for double the workload in what was already looking to be a rough start to her week. 

Claude smirked and opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Lysithea. “Manuela’s hungover, and the Black Eagles are too happy about winning.” 

“I even heard Caspar gloating about the party they planned for this morning,” Ingrid said, rolling her eyes. 

“Aw man, don’t bring up their party. It’s making me hungry,” Raphael whined. “Anyway, professor. We did think about finding a substitute. Leonie suggested we could ask Jeralt if—ouch!”

Raphael rubbed at his side with a frown at Leonie, who said, “Yes, well. We contemplated substitutes but everyone seemed busy. We figured we could just put all of us losers together at least.” 

The room got quiet at the comment as everyone’s expressions turned a bit more downcast. Clearly all of them had their loss on their minds. Aloysia set her papers on her desk, leaning against it to face the somber class. 

“Let me remind you all that the academy only chooses its best students to train for a second year and that you will be working together in the field rather than fighting each other. That said, you all fought well considering the circumstances. Not only was it a test of your skills, but a test of how well the three of us heading the classes are teaching you.” Aloysia huffed out a breath. “The Black Eagles won because Byleth came up with the better tactical plan according to the layout of the field and those of you on it. He is a very good strategist. That does _ not _mean you all did poorly.” 

“So,” Sylvain began, his brow furrowed in thought, “you think we could have easily overtaken them without his strategy? That they’re not as good as us?”

Aloysia mulled over his question, trying to think of how to better articulate her meaning, when he jumped up and shouted, “I KNEW IT! WE ARE BETTER!”

“No, that is not, in fact, what I meant,” Aloysia said as Ingrid yanked Sylvain back down into his seat. “I am saying that this battle was more about the strategy aspect. If this were a true fight, it would be much different. Could any of you truly see yourself killing someone else in this room? Did any of you have real fear yesterday? Those factors are taken into account more than you expect. I know many of you have been on battlefields already, and it is different. So, I am saying that yesterday was a test of the teachers and an evaluation of your progress."

“But, Professor,” Mercedes said. “You can’t place all the blame on yourself. As you said, there were too many variables.”

Aloysia frowned at the varying looks she was receiving and was about to argue when Claude cut her off. “Aw, Lady Teach, don’t be sad about yesterday. C’mon. Do you need a hug?”

She looked at the young noble, lips pressed into a thin line. His smile didn’t waver, so she looked back to the others. “Well, if I’m not taking all the blame, how about we do an exercise to increase your skills?”

There was a mixture of grumbling and excited chatter at the question, louder than usual due to the abnormal class size. She held up her hand, and the room fell silent again. 

“Today’s exercise will be a lesson in stealth. You must each pair with someone from the opposite house and find a location on the school grounds where you can both hide.”

Raphael tentatively raised his hand. “What if we can’t...fit...in the same spot with someone else?”

“Aw, don’t worry, Raphael,” Annette chirped. “I’ll be your partner. I can make myself fit in the tiniest of spaces with no issue!”

While Raphael pulled Annette into a bear hug to show his thanks, Felix spoke up with, “Well, if we’re already picking, I want Leonie.”

“What? Why?” Leonie asked, clearly confused.

Felix scoffed. “Because you have practical experience. It’s useful.”

“Wow,” Ingrid said, eyebrows raised. “That is certainly a compliment from you.”

Felix shrugged, his calmness the antithesis of the nervous Sylvain beside him, who said, “Well...I want to be paired with Lysithea.”

The younger girl whipped her head around to shoot daggers at him. “Over your dead body.”

Sylvain gave a cocky smile and took a breath in to respond, but Lysithea continued with, “Which can be easily arranged.”

When Sylvain hesitated, unsure of how to react, she added, “I’d like to be partnered with Dedue. At least he won’t give us away with inane chatter.”

Dedue nodded almost imperceptibly. Sylvain began to look between Hilda and Marianne as if unsure of which girl would be a better choice, while to the side, Ashe and Ignatz had gravitated toward each other and were already whispering about their strategy.

Claude then slung an arm over Dimitri’s shoulders. “I’m taking His Regalness with me. It’ll be a good test of how well we’ll work together in the future!”

“I expected no different,” Dimitri said with a sigh. Claude grinned in return.

Now sweating, Sylvain smiled his most charming smile. “So, Hilda, shall we—”

“Of course we shan’t!” Hilda said with a big smile. “Ingrid and I are going to win this together.”

“We are?” Ingrid asked with shock, then schooling her expression. “I mean...of course we are. Sounds like a good idea.”

Hilda squealed and hugged Ingrid, who appeared too baffled to protest. Sylvain turned to Marianne with desperation.

“Mari—” 

“Sylvain, you and Lorenz should work together, which leaves Marianne with Mercedes,” Aloysia interrupted, pleased to see a look of relief cross Marianne’s face. 

“Oh! That sounds like a lovely idea, Professor!” Mercedes said, clapping her hands together. “Marianne and I will be a great team!”

Marianne nodded at the other girl with a smile. “I th-think so too.”

“Plus,” Lorenz interjected. “It is an obvious choice to pair the two best-looking nobles together.”

A strange bout of coughing seemed to come over the whole room at this comment. Over that, Claude could be heard making a loud choking noise; in response, Dimitri slapped his back, earning a yelp from the Golden Deer’s leader. Sylvain looked forlornly at the ceiling as if hoping the goddess herself would smite him.

“Alright, then. You all have as much time to figure out your plans as it takes me to decipher Dimitri’s latest essay,” Aloysia said.

“Professor…” Dimitri whined, red climbing up his neck.

Felix snorted. “Well, that will certainly give us plenty of time. His handwriting is about as neat as Sylvain’s breakups.”

“Do not speak ill of the prince, Felix,” Dedue warned with a glare. Felix simply rolled his eyes and glared back, which Aloysia filed away for later.

After a moment of awkward silence, Aloysia said, “Well?”

The struggle to get out the door caused her to snort as she sat down and got to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are back! So sorry for the hiatus we took. We appreciate those of you who have stuck around this whole time. We would all like to say hello to the newcomers who are just joining us! The story should hopefully pick up speed soon, but it won’t be the next chapter. I hope you’re all ready for shenanigans! Also, feel free to leave comments! Although it took a while with some, we make sure to respond to all of them. So let’s get this show back on the road!
> 
> Next up: Two houses play hide and seek while a third...studies? Only one pair can win!


	8. Lost and Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! This chapter starts right at the end of the last chapter, but you may notice a change in the month. We have now gone back and added the shift into a new month into the prior chapter. With that, hope you enjoy the stealth lesson!

**Part One: Alabaster Dusk**

**Lost and Found**

_ Harpstring Moon, 1180 _

“Hey, we never got to finish seeing how many cookies I could fit in my mouth!” Caspar exclaimed, reaching for the remaining cookies.

“I think it’s about time we get back to class,” Byleth quickly intervened, sliding the plate away from Caspar. “Grab a few last snacks and let’s get to work.”

“Of course, Professor,” Edelgard nodded. “Just because we won the mock battle does not mean we can become complacent.”

She grabbed a few more cookies and an apple before dutifully heading to her seat. Hubert was her shadow as always, forgoing additional snacks in favor of keeping an eye on the room.

“Man...someday I’ll get to find out,” Caspar sighed, forlornly only taking one cookie and trudging to his seat.

“H-hey, do you guys hear something in the courtyard?” Bernadetta asked from her spot near the door.

She’d barely finished her question when a commotion became audible from the classroom next door.

Dorothea, curious, wandered over to the classroom door and peered outside. “Was there an event planned today? Everybody is sure in a hurry to get out of the classroom.”

The others joined her, watching in bemusement as their fellow second-years bolted away in pairs. Most of them darted away, some towards the cathedral and others towards the gates, but Lorenz and Sylvain shot right past them, nearly knocking over Petra, who had ventured out of the doorway.

“Sorry, Petra!” Sylvain called over his shoulder, not slowing in the slightest.

“We have to run faster!” Lorenz snapped at him, and they both dashed off.

Edelgard shook her head, saying, “I hesitate to even ask what this is all about.”

Byleth sighed heavily. “Somehow, I feel my sister is responsible.”

“Professor Aloysia must be very upset they lost the mock battle,” Ferdinand commented.

Linhardt raised his head, grumbling, “Can’t they be quieter about it?” before settling back down to his nap.

Just as quickly as the commotion began, it died down as the others vanished from the courtyard. Everyone watched the empty courtyard for a little while, waiting for any more excitement before Hubert commented, “Well, that nonsense seems to be done. May we resume class now?”

Byleth nodded. “That sounds like an excellent idea. Your seats please, everyone.”

As the class began to settle, Byleth went to his desk, sorting a few papers, and looked up just in time to see his sister leisurely strolling through the courtyard. She caught his eye and hummed, _ Enjoy class! _

Byleth raised an eyebrow in response, but otherwise ignored his twin. Once he found his lesson plan for the day, he strode to the chalkboard, pulling it where the room could all see. He heard his students scrambling for paper and writing utensils as he began to draw a map of a typical camp, planning to teach them a lesson on how to infiltrate during a night guard shift. When he finished, he brushed off his hands, and turned to his class. “Now, who would like to tell me some effective strategies for infiltrating a camp such as this, given —”

He stopped, an odd expression on his face as he looked to the door. The class turned to see Marianne and Mercedes standing in the doorway. Mercedes said, “I’m so sorry we interrupted your class, Professor, but we were hoping we could join you for the afternoon.”

“I don’t suppose this has anything to do with all the commotion earlier?” Byleth asked.

“W-well,” Marianne started. “Um...yes, it d-does.” 

Byleth said nothing, waiting for her to go on, but Mercedes explained, “Professor Aloysia has assigned us a stealth lesson. We were told to pair with someone from the opposite house and find someplace we could both hide where it would be difficult for her to find us. There were no other instructions, so we thought it would be a good idea to blend in with you. Plus! It would be nice to learn from you as well! We so rarely get to change professors, after all.”

“No fair!” Caspar complained. “Why do _ they _ get to play hide-and-seek? That’s so much cooler than taking notes.”

“Because we are learning about more practical matters,” Hubert scowled. “It will show in the future.”

“Aloysia’s methods are different from my own, but she has her reasoning. Even if I fail to understand it sometimes,” Byleth said. “As long as you’re not disruptive, you are welcome to stay with us today.”

“Thank you so much!” Mercedes said, dragging a sheepish looking Marianne to an unclaimed row in the middle of the room. Edelgard handed the two girls some paper and quills, which they dutifully took.

Byleth glanced around the room, saw his students attentively watching him, and resumed his lecture.

* * *

Aloysia was strolling the grounds without a care in the world, or at least she appeared that way. Really, she was listening for any noise out of the ordinary, as well as objects that may have shifted even slightly. Her first idea was to check out the greenhouse. Students often thought they were being sneaky when they dragged their significant others there, but they often forgot the windows were translucent. However, it didn’t even take her that long to find her first pair.

“Oh, come on, Bernadetta. Please let us in? We aren’t monsters, I swear. We’re just hiding from the professor,” a rather familiar voice said.

This was then followed by a drawl of, “Step aside. Allow me to try. Bernadetta, if you wouldn’t mind inviting us in, we would be grateful. Plus, I’m sure we could make it worth your while in the end.”

Aloysia sighed as she watched Sylvain and Lorenz argue at Bernadetta’s door, Sylvain now telling off his partner for his horrendous choice of words. She strolled behind them, even making what she considered to be a lot of noise, but they remained oblivious.

“I think you’ll find it’s hard to ask someone to let you in when they are in class,” Aloysia said. 

Sylvain slapped a hand to his forehead. “Of course! How did we not realize?”

There was a long moment as both students slowly stiffened. Sylvain finally glanced over his shoulder and gave his signature smile. “So, I take it we’re out?”

“Very. Please go to the Black Eagles’ classroom. Oh, but grab your belongings beforehand. You’ll need them to take notes.” Aloysia patted them both on the shoulder as they groaned then shuffled away. 

As she strolled once more toward the greenhouse, Sothis snorted. “I think you’re enjoying this too much. Will your brother not be mad with the influx of students?”

_ It’s good to keep him on his toes_, Aloysia replied. _ He’ll be fine. _

* * *

“...so every mission must balance having a force large enough to defeat your enemy with a force small enough to avoid immediate detection,” Byleth concluded. “Any questions?”

Ferdinand raised his hand, but before Byleth could say anything, a voice from the doorway asked, “Do you guys have any snacks left?”

Byleth turned around, blinking in surprise at the sight of Sylvain and Lorenz. The pair was standing awkwardly in the doorway, carrying their belongings. Byleth said, “I feel as though my sister neglected to mention something to me.”

“Our sincerest apologies, Professor,” Lorenz said, going into a dramatic bow. “Professor Aloysia told us to come here now that we’ve been found. Were you not caught up on the situation?”

“Your exercise, yes,” Byleth said. “_This _ was not something that was discussed. Since you’re already here, have a seat.”

Lorenz went to a seat by the door, but Sylvain headed over to sit next to Mercedes and Marianne. “Have you two already been caught by the professor as well?”

Mercedes giggled. “We have not. This _ is _our hiding spot.”

Sylvain groaned at not thinking of a similarly good idea. “Why didn’t we think of blending in? _ Someone _ suggested we seek refuge in another student’s room.”

Byleth raised an eyebrow. “Well, we were already discussing infiltration today. I don’t suppose it’s too far of a leap to move to discussing stealth. Sylvain, Lorenz, let’s analyze your plan, and see how it could have been improved.”

Lorenz began with, “Well, you see, our plan was to—”

“No, it was _ your _ plan!” Sylvain insisted. “_You _ thought it was a ‘_spectacular’ _ idea to hide out in Bernadetta’s room!” 

“WHAT?!” Bernadetta shrieked. “YOU WERE IN MY ROOM?!”

“Of course not!” Lorenz protested. “We would never have truly forced our way in. We simply thought you would kindly allow us two gentlemen entrance during our assignment.”

“You thought that would happen _ during class_?” Linhardt asked, skeptical.

“She is always in her room!” Lorenz argued. Sylvain sighed and set his head on his desk in resignation.

“Why would you drag Bernie into this?” Dorothea demanded. “Not very _ gentlemanly _ of you to make her solve _ your _ problems!”

Byleth sighed as the class once again devolved.

* * *

Aloysia found herself sitting on the dock of the fishing pond, pole in hand. She wasn’t expecting to catch anything...except maybe students. She had heard a sharp intake of breath as she strolled by and decided to wait it out and see what, or who, she’d find. 

It had been about a quarter of an hour when she finally heard a shriek quickly drowned out by a colossal splash. Aloysia rolled onto her stomach and peered underneath the dock to see the very wet forms of Raphael and Annette surface from the pond’s depths. 

“So, the idea was good, but you have to remember that you never know how long you’ll be hiding,” Aloysia said, startling the pair. 

Raphael scratched his neck. “I guess I forgot to consider the extra energy of holding up a second person. Normally, I could have held on for much longer.”

“Are we the first to be found, Professor?” Annette asked, a bit downcast.

Aloysia scoffed. “No. That honor goes to Sylvain and Lorenz. Your idea was good, though, in that I wouldn’t have normally considered looking here.”

The pair smiled as they swam to the edge of the pond, pulling themselves up onto the docks. Aloysia went to pat them on their shoulders but reconsidered. “You two go dry off, then retrieve your belongings and report to the Black Eagles’ room. I’ll see you both later.”

As the three went their separate ways, Aloysia contemplated some other locations the students may have thought to evade her. Worried that they may have also considered breaking into the teachers’ offices, she headed toward the second floor in hopes of heading off any possible disasters.

When she arrived, she was relieved to hear that no one had tried bargaining with Catherine to enter the audience chamber, but the knight did seem to have a peculiar look on her face. Suspicious, Aloysia continued down the hallway. As she came upon Seteth’s office, she was also glad to find no one had tried breaking in. The door seemed locked up well with no damage.

Shuffling from behind her alerted her to a presence across the hall, and she turned around to see her father sitting at his desk. 

“Busy day?” Aloysia asked to announce herself as she leaned in his doorway. 

Jeralt looked up at her from his paperwork. “Very. Speaking of that, I’m a bit sore today. Would you mind grabbing me my box of maps from the shelf over there?”

As Jeralt pointed to the shelf he mentioned, Aloysia walked in and looked up, noticing two figures lying as flat as possible on the top. Seeing they had been caught, one exclaimed, “Captain! You sold us out!”

Jeralt chuckled. “Never trust anyone who isn’t on your own team, Leonie.”

“I thought you _ were —” _

“Give it up, Leonie,” Felix grumbled, jumping down. “We’ve been caught.” 

“You certainly have,” Aloysia said, as Leonie also jumped down. “My father is correct. Only rely on yourselves when it comes to stealth. You are the third team found. Please gather your belongings from the classroom and join my brother for his lesson today.”

The two left the room and Aloysia turned back to her father. “Sorry if they disturbed your work.”

Jeralt smiled. “They were no worse than you and your brother staring at me while I tried to get things done. Speaking of, did you plan this with Byleth?”

“Nope,” Aloysia said, turning and walking out of the room with no other comment. 

Jeralt’s laughter could be heard ringing down the hall.

* * *

“Everyone, enough!” Byleth exclaimed. The room finally quieted and turned to him. “I believe my condition for the others joining us was that they would _ not _ be disruptive.”

“Our apologies, Professor,” Edelgard said quickly, looking embarrassed. “We are very protective of each other.”

“Especially Bernie!” Caspar exclaimed.

Byleth sighed. “I understand, and camaraderie will serve you well. However, we have a lesson to get to.”

He gave Sylvain and Lorenz an exasperated look. “Now, generally, I would offer feedback to improve your plan for the future. However, given the plan you had...I’m not certain there is anything I can suggest.”

Everyone but Lorenz laughed, even Sylvain, who said, “Yeah, that’s fair enough.”

As their laughter died down, a new voice said, “Well, at least this lesson sounds fun!”

Byleth turned to see Raphael, Annette, Leonie, and Felix already taking seats in his classroom. As they got settled, he asked, “So who was found first?”

“We were!” Raphael exclaimed, strangely upbeat. “Well...Annette and I were before Leonie and Felix. But not first first!”

Felix snorted, shaking his head at Sylvain. “The logical guess. Only your team would have been found first.”

Before another argument could begin, Byleth asked Annette, “And what caused you all to get caught?”

“We fell into the pond. Raphael had been holding us up between the poles of the dock. Sadly, it only lasted for about half past the hour,” Annette said sheepishly. Everyone else looked at her with shock.

“Oh, that’s why your hair is wet!” Dorothea said, seeming pleased to have solved the mystery.

“Why were you choosing that, and not somewhere more practiced?” Petra asked. She paused. “Practical! Somewhere more practical?”

“Well, the professors are smart,” Raphael said. “So it couldn’t be someplace normal.”

“A very good idea, in theory,” Byleth nodded. “But you have to remember that you never know how long you’ll be hiding.”

“That’s _ exactly _ what Professor Aloysia said!” Annette said with wonder.

“Well, we _ did _ grow up and train together,” Byleth said. He turned to Felix and Leonie. “Were you two in an equally unusual place?”

“I think so!” Leonie nodded. “We hid in Captain Jeralt’s office, on top of his bookshelf.”

Felix shook his head. “It may have worked out better if he hadn’t sold us out. We should have gone with my plan.”

“I’m not sure I’d call Leonie hiding in Captain Jeralt’s office ‘unusual,’” Lorenz commented.

Leonie turned around with a threatening smile. “But we weren’t caught first, were we?”

“Anyway,” Byleth said firmly, stopping the chaos before it could begin again. “Thinking outside the box is an excellent strategy. Your opponents can’t prepare for your strategies if they can’t even anticipate them. What are some other unusual spots you could have hidden on the grounds?”

* * *

It had taken a while, but after circling the maze of hedges for a while, Aloysia ended up tripping over what she thought was a root. As she came back to the same spot, she realized it was a little too rounded to be that and ended up finding Ashe and Ignatz concealed in the hedges. The two boys headed to Byleth’s classroom as instructed, still covered in twigs and needles. 

Aloysia decided to make another run by the dormitories, especially to make sure no one had broken into her own, when she heard a sneeze from the room right up against hers. Knowing it was Dedue’s, she knocked on the door. 

“Since I would guess no one would break into your room if they valued their life, I’m guessing you and Lysithea are in there?”

There was a muted curse followed by some shuffling before the door opened. Dedue blinked down at her. “What shall you have us do, Professor?”

“Well, first I should say that you did a good job. If not for the sneeze, I would not have known you were here. Also, four other groups have already been found, so you’ve done well.” Aloysia patted his arm and gave an approving nod to Lysithea, who blushed a little from the praise. “Since we are near the classrooms, I will follow you to Byleth’s lesson, which you will be joining.”

“That seems satisfactory. Certainly a good way to make sure no one tries to create any trouble after being found,” Lysithea said, following the other two toward the classrooms. 

As they walked in, Aloysia heard her brother asking his now-much-larger class, “Can anyone suggest ways Ashe and Ignatz could have better concealed themselves within the hedges? It was an excellent idea, but it could use just a little refinement.”

A hand from the middle of the room shot up, and a voice Aloysia clearly recognized said, “They could work to blend in their outfits with whatever their surroundings are.”

Byleth took a breath as if to speak when he heard, _ I’ve got this. _

“You must also make sure to blend your whole self into any stealth situation. Both look _ and _act differently. Maybe disguise your voice next time, Mercedes,” Aloysia said, arms crossed as she leaned against the back wall.

Mercedes turned with a smile. “Oh! Yes, of course, I — oh...we’ve been caught. Marianne, I’m sorry for getting us found out.”

“It’s f-fine,” Marianne said. “It s-seems we have lasted for quite a while l-longer than some of the others.”

Aloysia and Byleth nodded, and Aloysia left, returning the class back to her brother. “Yes. Hiding yourselves among a group that you easily blend in with was smart. As Aloysia said, you simply must remember to hide _ all _ aspects of yourself.”

Byleth then looked at Lysithea and Dedue, who were now dutifully taking notes. “Where did you two end up hiding?”

“Dedue’s room,” Lysithea said. “We thought it best to hide in plain sight. The idea seemed so simple that we hoped the professor would think we had chosen somewhere else.”

“An excellent idea. Sometimes simple strategies are the most effective,” Byleth nodded. “What gave you away?”

“...I sneezed,” Lysithea admitted. Everyone laughed, causing her to snap, “Laugh it up! You all got caught before we did.”

“So who is left?” Edelgard asked, looking around at the others.

“His Highness is not here,” Dedue said almost immediately.

“That means Claude’s still in, too,” Raphael added.

Annette looked around for a moment. “Also, Ingrid has yet to show up. She’s with Hilda. I wonder where they all could be…”

* * *

Aloysia heard a crash as she was looking through the reception hall that had her jogging in the direction of the cemetery. She really hoped no one had managed to break a tombstone during this assignment - the glare Seteth would give her would likely haunt her for weeks.

She sprinted into the courtyard above it without paying much attention until she heard a groan of pain. Stopping in her tracks, she turned and saw a blue-clad form splayed on the ground under a tree. “Claude, I told you it was a bad idea for me to hide in a tree. Our plan was working perfectly prior to this!”

“Oh?” Aloysia said, peering down at her student and successfully earning a startled jump. “And what was this plan of yours?”

Suddenly, Claude hopped out of the tree to land beside her, throwing an arm over her shoulder. “Well, you see, we’ve been moving from location to location so you never had a good idea of where we could be.”

Aloysia knocked his arm off her shoulder and held her own arm out to pull Dimitri up. Once he brushed himself off, she said, “A very smart idea. Quietly moving locations will keep enemies on their toes, which gives you the advantage. It could be useful for figuring out the enemy’s plan of attack as well.”

“Awwwwww, thanks, Lady Teach!” Claude said with a big smile. “Does this mean we won?”

“Nope,” Aloysia said. “Ingrid and Hilda are the last team. I have to go try to find them now.”

Claude’s eyebrows flew up. “What?! Hilda was right when she said they’d win?” 

Dimitri shook his head fondly. “We should have known those two could figure out a good strategy. What shall you have us do now, Professor?”

Aloysia walked with them toward the cathedral bridge, where she gave them instructions to go to Byleth’s classroom before leaving to continue her search. She would certainly have to tell the girls how proud she was of them for clearly finding such an ingenious hiding space.

* * *

At the chime of the church bells, Byleth released the students to dinner. Most of them eagerly ran off, hungry after the excitement of the day, but Edelgard, Dimitri, and Claude waited for Byleth to finish packing up his papers and head for the dining hall.

“Sir Teach, your sister’s lessons are something else,” Claude said. “I’ve never had to play hide-and-seek before for class.”

“I think Professor Aloysia’s lessons are still very educational, even if they do take a more unconventional route than other teachers we’ve had,” Dimitri chimed in.

“She certainly seems very knowledgeable,” Edelgard nodded. “Even if I do prefer Professor Byleth’s teaching methods.”

Byleth hummed in thought. “Our knowledge and experience are identical, but our ways of thinking are not. I view battle like a game of chess - each movement must be methodical and carefully considered. Aloysia views it as a puzzle. One quick assessment connects with another, and soon she has built her own vision of how the battle will play out. It is only natural for this to carry into our styles of teaching.”

The three future leaders nodded at him, clearly filing this information away. He hoped it meant they would each continue with their own styles while working together, like he and Aloysia had always done. The group had just entered the dining hall with these ponderings when Byleth heard his name whispered in his head. He looked around for a moment but couldn’t locate his sister anywhere in the hall. 

Sothis sprang up in her throne. “Aloysia is around the corner outside. She caught you before you walked in. I would go to her quickly, and bring your father.”

Byleth’s stomach twisted with worry at Sothis’s words. Had something happened to Aloysia? Within moments he located Jeralt, trapped in a conversation with Alois and Catherine, looking extremely tired.

He all but ran over to his father, grabbing Jeralt’s arm and apologizing to the two knights, “My apologies, but I need to borrow my father for a moment.”

“No worries!” Alois smiled as Byleth dragged Jeralt outside.

“Not that I’m complaining about getting out of that conversation, but what’s going on?” Jeralt asked his son.

Byleth pointed at his sister, who was pacing back and forth among the hedges, wringing her hands. He asked, _ Aloysia, what’s wrong? _

Aloud, Jeralt echoed the question. “Aloysia? Are you all right? What’s wrong?”

Aloysia ran over to her family and managed, “My students are missing.”

“Which ones? I had them all, and I herded them to the dining hall,” Byleth said.

Aloysia shook her head, much more flustered than was usual for her. “No! The other two! Hilda and Ingrid. I’ve been looking all day. They’re _ missing, _and I don’t know what to do!”

“Aloysia, we will find them,” Jeralt said, putting his hands on her shoulders. “Plus, isn’t Hilda in a different house? Where’s her professor?”

“Hungover,” Byleth said. “The Golden Deer were with Aloysia today.”

The comment seemed to open a floodgate in Aloysia. “I was in charge of them and they were all upset about losing the mock battle, so I hoped to cheer them up some while still teaching them something valuable, so to teach them about stealth, I told them to partner up with someone in the other house and hide from me and I sent the people I found to Byleth who continued the lesson but I’ve been looking all day and they’re _ nowhere_, so what —”

“Breathe, Aloysia, please,” Jeralt said, leaning down to her eye level. “Please, breathe. We’ve dealt with worse before. There are plenty of people here who can help us look. It will be fine. We could ask their classmates where —”

“I’ve looked _ everywhere_!” Aloysia insisted.

“What about an aerial view?” Byleth asked. Two heads turned to look at him. “I mean, some of the students are crafty, and they could certainly get up on the rooftops if they tried hard enough. The only place Aloysia hasn’t looked is from above.” 

Aloysia gasped a breath. “But I can’t get up there! I can’t ride or fly or —”

“I’ll ask Catherine,” Jeralt said. “There has to be a knight who is a flier.”

As he strode back into the dining hall, Sothis decided to speak up. “How do you lose two teenagers?”

_ How do you lose all your memories? _ Byleth snapped at her, pulling Aloysia under his arm. _ That seems harder to do. _

Sothis glared at him, which Byleth ignored in favor of comforting his sister. It was only a moment later when Jeralt rushed back with Catherine. 

“Seteth’s a wyvern rider,” Catherine said. “He can help us locate the students. I don’t know a lot of the pegasus knights very well.” 

“We should go to him immediately. He’s likely in his office or the audience chamber,” Jeralt said.

As they hurried to the second floor, Aloysia looked at her brother. _ He’s going to fire me. He could have me killed. Is this a capital offense? _

“Pretty sure students who wander off and can’t be found is not something you can be murdered over. Then again, I have no memories, so who knows,” Sothis said, now back to lounging in her throne.

_ Even if they wanted to do that — which they won’t — they wouldn’t get very far. We wouldn’t let anything happen to you_, Byleth assured her.

“Someone is confident in their abilities,” Sothis commented, scowling at Byleth.

_ Yes, but you also don’t want anything to happen to Aloysia. You made that very clear when we were fighting the bandits_, Byleth replied. Sothis grumbled but said nothing further.

Even though the argument was in her head, Aloysia could hardly hear it. Each step she took sounded louder and louder to her, the noise indicating how close she was getting to her untimely demise. When they finally reached Seteth’s office, he was found sitting serenely behind his desk while his sister was reading a book in a chair by the fireplace.

“Seteth,” Jeralt said authoritatively. “We could use your help.”

Seteth looked at the group and stood up quickly. “Flayn, stay here. I’ll be back in a moment.”

“Of course, brother,” Flayn sighed, watching the group until they disappeared from her view.

“What’s going on?” Seteth asked when they got near the audience chamber.

Aloysia stepped forward and fell into a deep bow. “It’s my fault! I was doing a practical stealth lesson that involved my students and the Golden Deer hiding from me in pairs, and I was to find them. But I’ve searched since midday and still haven’t found the last two!”

A look of confusion passed over Seteth’s face before he reschooled it. “So...you had two classes somehow and decided to play hide-and-seek? And this was a useful lesson...how?”

Byleth said, “Theoretical knowledge is worthless without practical application!” while Jeralt also protested, “I don’t think that’s the most pressing matter here, Seteth!”

“It might not be the most pressing matter, but how am I to help with this?” Seteth asked, shooting Aloysia a stern look that caused her stomach to twist.

Catherine stepped forward at that and said, “We need someone to check from the skies. You’re the best flier here, so here we are. Can we count on your assistance with this?”

At her question, Seteth deflated a little. “Of course. Let me saddle up my wyvern, and I’ll meet you all on the bridge.”

“I’m coming too!” Everyone whipped around to see Flayn hurrying down the hallway toward them. Seteth sighed, but she continued, “I can take a second person up on a pegasus!”

“Oh good. The more eyes we have, the faster we can find them,” Aloysia said, taking a deep breath. Once she appeared more centered, she added, “So who else is going up with them besides me?”

Jeralt and Byleth gave her mirrored looks of shock, but Jeralt’s quickly melted to concern. “Are you sure you’ll be okay with that? You know we wouldn’t make you.”

“I’m sure,” Aloysia said. “This is my mistake. It must be me who fixes it.”

A hand came down on her shoulder. “I’ll go up, too.”

Aloysia patted her brother’s hand in thanks and looked back to Seteth. “We’ll see the two of you down there momentarily.”

As everyone walked to their different destinations, a muffled, “My hair will be grey soon because of you, Flayn!” was audible.

A giggle followed.

* * *

_ Are you sure you’re okay? _ Byleth asked from the pegasus he rode on to her right, his hand lightly resting on Flayn’s shoulder. Aloysia nodded her head imperceptibly, but her grip on the sides of Seteth’s robes tightened.

_ It’s not a horse_, Aloysia reminded herself, earning a scoff from Sothis, who was still not speaking to them after the earlier fight. 

“Flayn, let’s split off. We will go to the cathedral while you search the main grounds,” Seteth said. Flayn nodded at his instructions and took off with Byleth, who was already scanning for the missing students.

Seteth turned his wyvern the other way, taking them higher to weave through the cathedral’s spires. Aloysia’s grip tightened further, and Seteth looked at her over his shoulder. “Please try not to rip my robes. The archbishop will have me doing all the sewing again otherwise.”

“Sorry,” Aloysia whispered, taking a breath and trying to loosen her hold. Once she had successfully calmed her heart, she began to look at the roof beneath her. After a moment, something caught her eye on a lower roof. “Do you see that glint over there?”

“Let’s take a closer look,” Seteth said, instructing his wyvern to dive to where Aloysia had pointed. Aloysia shrieked, her arms wrapping around Seteth’s waist in a vise grip and her eyes screwing shut. Her eyes were still closed tight when she felt them land and Seteth said, “Looks like we’ve found them.”

“Hi, Professor!” a cheery voice exclaimed from just a few feet away. 

Aloysia’s eyes flew open, landing on the two students she had worried about for half a day. Before Seteth could comment any further, she jumped off the wyvern and ran to the girls, pulling them both into a hug.

“Whoa! Professor! We’re happy to see you too?” Hilda half-asked, patting Aloysia’s back.

“Professor, are you alright?” Ingrid asked, concern in her tone.

Aloysia leaned back so she could look at the two students, before finally letting them out of her grip. She took a deep breath then fixed them with a glare. “You had me worried sick! I’ve been looking for you for hours! And you’re just hanging out up here _ having tea? _ And you _ stole _ a pegasus?”

Hilda gaped at her outburst, while Ingrid sat up and said, “Don’t worry, Professor. I borrowed him properly. The stablemaster knows of his whereabouts.”

“Plus,” Hilda said, having moved past the moment, “You never said there was a limit to where we could hide on the grounds. You only said we had to be on them.”

“I still can’t believe you —”

“Aloysia.” 

Aloysia turned around to see her brother striding over; she hadn’t even heard his landing. “What?”

“It was a smart decision. They did what you asked, even if it was unexpected. We found them, and they’re unharmed,” Byleth said, looking from his sister to the two students.

Aloysia sighed. “You did win the competition, and I’m proud of you both. Next time, maybe consider coming down sooner? We’ll say dinner is the limit.”

Ingrid smiled. “Sure thing. Sorry for scaring you all.”

“Well, then. If you all wouldn’t mind, let’s return to the ground,” Seteth interjected, receiving nods from everyone except Aloysia, who groaned.

After another stressful few minutes, Aloysia found herself happily back on the ground, hoping she would never need to fly for any reason ever again. She was just about to head to her room when Alois jogged up to the group.

“Byleth! Aloysia!” he called, coming to a stop when he reached them. “The archbishop has requested your presence in the audience chamber. And Seteth! Good timing. She has been asking for you as well.”

Seteth’s wyvern was handed off to Flayn, who giggled as it nosed her hair. “Well then, we shouldn’t keep the archbishop waiting.”

As they quickly followed after the man, the twins looked at each other in trepidation. Hopefully this wasn’t the thing that ended their careers just as they began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one weekend? It’s your present for waiting so long! Has our laundry been done? Have we gotten groceries? Have we done anything but write this? Who knows! Instead, more writings for you all to enjoy! With this, shenanigans have ensued and winners found. The plot is about to get serious now. We hope to keep singular months to one or two chapters at most, so they might also be more like this in length. It’s not easy to fit so many important people into such restricted space. Let us know what you thought! Who did you think would win? Hopefully you thought the answer was a fun surprise!
> 
> Next chapter: The students will get a taste of real battle, and some will react worse than others.


	9. The Blood on Their Hands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it again! We hope you all are ready for this meeting. Before you begin, we’d like to let you all know that we will not be including the plot or characters of Cindered Shadows in our fic since we planned this entire story well before it came out. However, information was revealed in it that is relevant, so we’ll work it in as we continue. One point (spoiler alert) was a canon name for Byleth’s mother. Since ours was different, we retconned chapter 1 to match the in-game name. To the meeting!
> 
> CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains a battle, and it gets pretty graphic. We upped the rating as a result. Not all of the battles in the future will be this graphic, but we felt it would be especially relevant to show here. You will be going in with a similar mindset as the students. Please let us know if it’s a little too much!

**Part One: Alabaster Dusk**

**The Blood on Their Hands**

_ Harpstring Moon, 1180 _

_ She’s going to fire us then have us beheaded in front of all of the students_, Aloysia said with a glance at her brother. They were nearly at the audience chamber, and both twins had half a mind to simply run while they still could.

_ I doubt it. She wouldn’t traumatize the students like that_, Byleth replied. _ They’ll probably just dispose of us quietly. _

_ Quietly? _ Aloysia raised her eyebrows, astonished. _ You think Dad would let them get away with our execution QUIETLY? _

_ Fine. They will _ try _ to dispose of us quietly_, Byleth amended crossly. _ How quietly they succeed in doing it doesn’t change how dead we’ll be. _

Sothis rolled her eyes with an intensity she didn’t know was possible. “You are both incredibly dramatic.”

They arrived at the doors to the audience chamber, stomachs churning. Byleth took his sister’s hand in his, sighing, _ Well, this is it. _

Seteth turned to them, raising an eyebrow. “Are you two silently talking again?” 

Aloysia’s eyes snapped to him, a flush coming over her cheeks. She shuffled closer to her brother as she tried to stammer out, “W-well, I-I mean…”

Byleth asked simply, “How can one silently talk?”

Seteth responded to the comment with a withering look. “I simply asked out of curiosity. There’s no need to respond in such a manner.”

Alois jumped in with a cheerful, “Well, let’s not keep the archbishop waiting!” before pulling the doors open.

Byleth met Seteth’s glare with one of his own before following Alois into the audience chamber, Aloysia close behind him. Considering their fears, the twins were surprised to notice the archbishop calmly speaking with Manuela, her serene smile in place as always.

“Your Grace, the professors and Seteth, as you requested!” Alois announced with a bow.

Rhea turned to the group and gave Alois a nod. “Ah, thank you, Alois. You may take your leave of us; I’m certain you have a great many other duties to attend to this evening.”

Giving another bow, Alois turned and left, closing the doors behind him. Rhea looked to the twins. “I’m sure you’re quite curious as to why I’ve called you here.”

“I certainly am!” Manuela said, surprisingly upbeat considering her hangover. “I was starting to worry you’d been taken with how long it took Alois to return with you! Did something happen?”

“Nothing of incredible importance, I assure you,” Seteth said, to the surprise of the twins. “We were simply handling some students being in places they shouldn’t.”

“Well, I am certain you all resolved the issue,” Rhea said, smiling brightly at the twins for just a moment before she quickly became stoic. “Speaking of issues, we have called you three here to discuss what may become one. The bandits that attacked our house leaders near Remire have been seen taking refuge in Zanado. We are worried about what they could be planning.”

Byleth straightened up. “Zanado...was that the canyon we passed by on our way here?”

“Yes! Zanado, the Red Canyon, holds ruins that are important to the Church of Seiros,” Manuela said. “It’s also incredibly close to the town just outside the monastery.”

“Another sneak attack!” Aloysia said under her breath. It was a moment before she noticed the four pairs of eyes trained on her, waiting for her elaboration. “While the bandits did come across the house leaders and think them a prime opportunity, they were also planning a sneak attack on the town of Remire. They had a large force planning to come from the north where there’s less resistance. That’s probably their plan with the nearby town as well.”

Seteth hummed in thought. “If that is the case, we should take care of this now. We are sworn to protect the town. We cannot risk the bandits getting too close.”

“While that may be true, we cannot rush into this underprepared. And that is what I called you three here for,” Rhea said, looking to the professors. “We will have scouts monitor the bandits’ movements. In the meantime, I would like for the professors to prepare their students for their first mission.”

“Does it make sense to take all of them? Moving with a smaller group would be easier,” Byleth interjected.

“You are correct,” Rhea said with a nod. “That is why I would ask you and Aloysia to lead this mission. I think 12 students will be satisfactory. It might also be a good time for the house leaders to see how to lead when in the field. Manuela, would you mind holding class for those who stay behind?”

“Of course not!” the healer said. “We can set up a workshop for the first years to learn fighting styles from the second years.”

“Then it’s settled,” the archbishop said with a smile. “Prepare your students for their first battle. Be ready to depart in a week’s time, unless our scouts report a change in the bandits’ movements.”

With one last nod, Rhea excused herself from the group to go to her office. Manuela looked at the twins. “We should discuss who we think would be best for this mission. I’ll go ask Catherine if we can use the knight’s lounge.”

Manuela headed off to find Catherine, leaving the twins alone with Seteth. There was an uncomfortable silence, broken by Seteth clearing his throat. “I think on that note, I shall take my own leave.”

He had barely made it to the door when there was a shouted, “Thank you!”

Seteth turned to find Aloysia straightening up from where she had bowed. “May I ask to what you refer?”

“Well, for earlier,” Aloysia said, red creeping up her face. “I wasn’t sure what you planned to say when asked where we had been. So thank you.”

“Oh,” Seteth said, eyebrows raised. “Well, students get up to mischief all the time. They were found safely, so no harm was done. I would, however, recommend being incredibly clear in your instructions in the future. They are very good at discovering loopholes.”

As he strode out of the room, Sothis snorted. “I like him.”

* * *

The twins briefed the students going on the mission before the small group departed for Zanado. It was a short journey, only a few hours, filled with the students’ excited chatter. Well, mostly excited.

“D-do I really have to do this?” Bernadetta asked, yet again. “I’d r-really rather be in my room…”

“Bernadetta, we’ve discussed this several times,” Edelgard scolded gently. “If we are to be leaders, we need practical experience in combat. I know you can do it.”

“But I don’t _ want _ to,” Bernadetta protested weakly.

“Awww, cheer up, Bernadetta,” Raphael said, bringing his horse next to hers. “You use a bow, right? So don’t even worry about this mission. All of us in the front will make sure you stay nice and safe.”

“Oh,” Bernadetta managed, face turning crimson. “Um...t-thanks.”

“I can’t wait!” Caspar exclaimed. “Our first real battle! This is going to be so exciting. Right, Linhardt?”

Caspar looked over to his friend, who was sound asleep yet somehow still sitting upright on his horse. With a bright smile, Caspar leaned over to take Linhardt’s reins and tie them to his own; the practice seemed to be a common one between the two. 

“I’m surprised Linhardt’s horse allows you to do that. Have your horses known each other for a while?” Ignatz asked, peering at the unusual riding arrangement.

“This isn’t the first time this has happened,” Caspar laughed. Linhardt began to lean to one side and Caspar quickly righted him with only the briefest glance. “When you’ve been friends as long as we have, you kinda get used to it.”

“Ignatz and I are like that too!” Raphael shouted from his place further back.

Ignatz gave a weak laugh. “Yep. We’ve known each other for years…”

As Ignatz trailed off on his thought, Sylvain shot a teasing smile at Ingrid. “Wow, Ingrid. We’ve been friends for years, but you never say nice things about me!”

“That’s because you don’t do anything for me to say nice things about,” Ingrid said, urging her horse away from him to join Ashe and Annette.

Claude cackled. “Ouch. I’m not sure if Sylvain will even make it to Zanado alive at this rate.”

“To be fair, Claude,” Dimitri said, “_You _ almost didn’t make it back to the monastery after our last run-in with these bandits.”

“What?!” Hilda screeched. “What do you mean? I thought he was fine!”

Claude winked at her. “No worries there, Hilda. Not a hair on my beautiful head was touched.”

“You’re lucky Professor Byleth’s glare didn’t kill you,” Edelgard said dryly. “Upsetting Professor Aloysia was not your wisest decision.”

Lorenz gasped dramatically. “Upset the professor? As a noble, it is our job to—”

“You upset the professor?!” Annette yelled with a glare. “What did you do?”

Claude gave an awkward laugh and slowly moved his horse away. “Ah...ha...it wasn’t quite like you think...the comment I made simply came off as insulting rather than amusing. It wasn’t intentional.”

“Oh, I see.” Ferdinand nodded, looking deep in thought. “So that’s why the professors chose our houses over yours.”

The group erupted into varying degrees of laughter; even Bernadetta had a smile on her face. Byleth and Aloysia were relieved to see that the students’ banter seemed to calm their nerves.

As everyone began to calm down, Ashe let out a sigh. “I didn’t ride horses much prior to coming to the academy. Even this short trip has me saddle sore. I don’t understand how the professors aren’t even sorer from sharing a saddle!”

The three house leaders tensed, Dimitri and Edelgard inhaling sharply. Claude looked between Ashe and the professors nervously. 

Aloysia turned to her student. “We are,” she said, turning back to watch the road in front of her.

The leaders exhaled in unison, glad to see that their classmate made it out of the situation unscathed. The group rode in comfortable silence for a few more minutes before the canyon came into view. Byleth held up his hand, indicating that everyone should stop. The group quietly pulled off the road to hide their horses, then grouped up next to an outcropping of rocks. 

Aloysia peered over it for a few moments before ducking back down next to her brother. The two looked to each other in what seemed like silence for a moment before turning to the group.

“So, according to Aloysia’s assessment, there seems to be about 20 bandits along with their leader, Kostas,” Byleth said in a commanding tone. “From our prior experience with them, they’re strong but not skilled. With your training, we should easily be able to take out the group. Remember, the nearby town is counting on us. Does anyone have any questions about the strategy we discussed?”

Linhardt raised his hand slightly. “There appears to be less cover than we expected. It looks like they’ve used a lot of the bushes for kindling and shelter. How should we plan for those of us who are ranged?”

“You stay close,” Aloysia answered. “The best way to stay safe if you don’t have cover is to hold a tight formation. Stay with your group, and pull back only if needed. Byleth and I will be out there fighting with you all, so don’t worry about getting any serious injuries. Trust in each others’ skills.”

“Right. Once we get on the field, you all will push forward through the bandits so Aloysia and I can reach Kostas. Leave him to us, and focus on the rest. The house leaders will stay back as a rearguard to make sure none of the bandits escape. Retreat back here if needed. Any more questions?” Byleth said.

He looked around the group, but everyone seemed ready. “Alright, let’s go.”

* * *

“It’s those academy brats! Get rid of them!” Kostas yelled as the students came into view.

“Remember!” Byleth shouted. “Focus on what you learned in training!”

The students nodded from where they had taken up their defensive stances, ready for the bandits coming toward them. Despite their previous nerves, they stood their ground, many with fire in their eyes. 

The first group of bandits came up on the front line of students, those brandishing lances. Yells could be heard echoing around the canyon as students and bandits alike dodged and parried. After one very skillful dodge, Ferdinand buried his lance between a bandit’s ribs. The man collapsed immediately, the lance still planted firmly in his chest as he let out one last gasp. Ferdinand put a foot on the bandit’s shoulder to help him yank his lance back out, laughing, “These ruffians are no match for a noble like me!”

“Hey, Mister Noble!” Ingrid yelled, taking down another bandit. “Don’t get cocky yet - there’s too many still left for that!”

“Of course not!” he responded, rushing forward to continue the fight.

Further back, bandits’ arrows had begun to rain down on the other students. Bernadetta shrieked, crouching down and covering her head as an arrow flew past. “I don’t care if they’re stealing!” she yelled, standing up and letting loose her own arrow, which pierced through one of her attacker’s eyes, taking him down in seconds. “Can I _ please _go home?!”

Raphael looked at her over his shoulder. “You’re doing great! Just keep it up and we can leave in no time!”

Just as he said that, an axe-wielding bandit who had managed to flank them came charging toward Bernadetta. She screamed as he raised his axe with a yell, ducking down and closing her eyes. When the anticipated blow never came, she cracked an eye open to see Raphael standing over the bandit, a pool of blood growing around the body. Raphael smiled at her. “This is my first real fight! I guess I’m pretty strong!”

She didn’t know whether to feel guilty that she sighed in relief.

The students were advancing on the bandits, pushing them back. Ignatz saw an opening to take down an opposing archer, expertly using the new curved shot technique he had only recently learned. The bandit seemed to notice the arrow a moment too late, unable to react before the head of it was buried in his throat. He fell to the ground, desperately grabbing at the arrow as blood ran from his mouth. 

Ignatz’ hand flew to his mouth as he watched the man slowly lose consciousness. Tears welled up in his eyes at the suffering before him. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as the man’s chest finally stopped heaving. “I didn’t have a choice…”

Across the field, Lorenz was taking on a swordsman who was tiring quickly. With a strong upward swing, he disarmed the bandit and stabbed him in the stomach. As the man groaned, Lorenz walked off, saying, “It is a noble’s duty to guard the welfare of the people. Nothing personal.”

The bandits were now down to Kostas and his second in-command, who was going head-to-head with Sylvain. As Sylvain swung his lance out, the bandit’s blade came up, nicking the teenager’s throat as he dodged, narrowly avoiding a fatal injury. In a swift move, Sylvain sliced down the bandit’s leg. The man fell to his knees before Sylvain drove his lance through the bandit’s chestplate. 

As the bandit fell to the ground, Sylvain removed his weapon with a grimace. “I had to do it. Don’t hate me, please.”

Without any more men, Kostas began backing away, only to find his retreat blocked by a sword pointed at his throat. Aloysia glared at him. “Who hired you?”

“Hired? No one. Bandits don’t work for anyone,” Kostas sneered, turning around only to come face-to-face with the tip of a lance. 

“I suggest you answer the question,” Byleth said, face impassive.

“Agh! I didn’t agree to any of this!” Kostas yelled. “We never should have taken a job from that red-robed freak!”

Aloysia shot her brother a quick look before asking, “And did the freak have a name?”

“Who cares? He had money, girly. Beyond that, I didn’t care. And if you met him, you wouldn’t care to ask questions either, even if you two are the Ashen Demons,” Kostas scoffed.

Byleth gave a minute nod. “Then you’ve outlived your usefulness.”

Before Kostas could open his mouth again, Aloysia kicked the man forward with all her strength as Byleth drove his lance between the bandit leader’s eyes. The man hit the ground with a thump that echoed in the now silent canyon. 

Byleth turned and walked back toward the students without so much as a glance at the body. Aloysia quickly followed, yanking his lance from the corpse and handing it back to him once she had caught up.

“You all did well,” she said to the students before shooting a glare at Byleth. “And _ you _ can pick up after yourself. Next time, I’ll just leave your only lance behind.”

A couple of the students snickered, but most remained quiet. Then, Caspar yelled, breaking the silence with, “Are all battles really this exciting? Come on, let’s get on to the next one!”

“He’s right. I can’t relax here,” Ingrid said, shaking her head despite her slight smile. “We need to prepare for our next battle.”

As some of the students began to talk amongst themselves, the twins heard Annette tell Hilda, “I did it! See? I’m a great fighter!”

Hilda smiled back at the redhead. “Yeah! I was planning to just sit back and watch. But hey, I got one too!”

A few others seemed more downcast, thinking or talking to themselves. Aloysia walked over to Ashe, who kept running his hand back and forth across his bow. As she reached his side, he murmured, “If I’d hesitated...that...that would’ve been me.”

Aloysia watched as Ashe’s eyes traveled over to a body with two arrows sticking out of its chest. She put her hand gently on his shoulder and turned him away. 

“I won’t say it ever gets easy to kill people. It shouldn’t. You just have to remember the people who are now safe because of what we’ve done,” Aloysia said. “Have you ever been to the town by the monastery?”

The student shook his head timidly. “Not really. We mostly only travel through it to come in and out of the academy.”

“Well. Let’s change that. If you remind me, I’ll plan for our class to go visit the town. That way, you all can meet some of the people you’ve helped today,” Aloysia said, letting her hand drop as Ashe finally straightened up a little.

“I think that would be nice. Thank you, Professor,” Ashe said, finally showing a slight smile. Aloysia sent him off in the direction of his friends and returned to her brother, who was watching the house leaders ride down the hill to where they were gathered. Edelgard slowed her horse before the others did, seeming to notice something a short distance away and riding towards it.

Byleth furrowed his brows, watching as Edelgard jumped off her horse and leaned over something. It took him a moment to realize it was Linhardt, kneeling on the ground and hunched in on himself.

The professor only dimly heard Claude’s overly cheerful greeting as he hastened to Linhardt and Edelgard. As he approached them, Byleth could hear Edelgard gently asking, “Linhardt, are you alright? Are you injured?”

“I...I killed them. What have I done?” Linhardt managed, his voice thin. “The blood…”

Edelgard moved in front of Linhardt, blocking his view of the bodies. “Do you remember our mission here?”

Linhardt nodded almost imperceptibly. “To kill the bandits.”

She nodded. “Do you remember why?”

There was a long silence. “They were likely planning an attack on the town outside the monastery.”

“Taking lives is never easy,” Edelgard said. “But sometimes we must do terrible things to ensure that good ones continue to happen.”

She offered a hand to Linhardt, helping him stand. The boy was still trembling and only a moment later his knees gave out. Byleth caught him before he hit the ground, steadying him with an arm around his waist.

“Linhardt!” a familiar voice yelled, and Caspar came running up. “There you are! We were looking for you.”

He took a good look at his friend and asked, “Hey, are you okay?”

“Overexerted myself, that’s all,” Linhardt said.

“I think it’s best if he rides back with you,” Byleth said, turning to Caspar.

“Sounds like a plan!” Caspar agreed, taking his friend from Byleth, an arm wrapped around him for support.

“Why don’t you two go on ahead to get saddled up,” Byleth suggested. “I’ll get the others. Edelgard, I think it’s best if you go with them.”

Edelgard nodded, climbing back on her horse, before the three began to make their way to where the horses were tied up. Byleth returned to the others, just in time to hear, “Aw, man. He _ would _ manage to get me in a place that’ll leave a visible scar. Hopefully the ladies dig that sort of thing.”

Ingrid sighed loudly at Sylvain before gently punching his arm. “Sylvain, just drink the vulnerary and stop whining. It will be fine by morning.”

“I hope so,” he said, pouting, before finally downing the potion.

Aloysia was shaking her head at the two as Byleth walked up to her. _ All things considered, I think that went well. _

_ Some did better than others, _ Byleth replied. _ Overall, I think they show considerable potential. However, I think it’s best that we head out now. They need rest, and they will likely sleep more easily in their beds than on the ground. _

Aloysia nodded, then turned to the remaining students. “Head back up to the entrance of the canyon and prepare your horses. If we want to make it back to the monastery by dinner, we need to leave as soon as we’re able.”

There was a chorus of affirmatives before their students walked off, leaving the professors following behind the group. It was silent for a moment before Aloysia said, _ I remember this place being peaceful once. _

_ Yes, it was_, Byleth agreed.

Sothis hummed. “I wonder why it is you recall this place…anyhow, I am quite fascinated by this canyon. As far as I can tell, this is your first time here.”

_ And yet, it still feels familiar_, Byleth said.

“How very odd,” Sothis said, then pacing around her space. “I wonder if somehow my memories have...hmmm...I must admit I am unsure. Beyond the name and this strange feeling of familiarity, I can’t seem to remember anything about this place. And yet...a great depth of emotion is tied to that sense of familiarity. Like joy and sorrow. Pain and love. And all things in between…”

The twins glanced around then at each other. While the canyon was familiar, the emotions Sothis associated with it were not. After a moment, the girl sighed and slumped into her throne.

“If I was somehow here before, I wonder what took place…”

Suddenly, a voice called, “Hey, Lady and Sir Teaches! Weren’t you the ones saying we needed to get going?”

Claude was giving the two a shit-eating grin, which they responded to with twin glares. He simply winked. As they finished trudging up the hill, Sothis murmured, “It is time to depart. But know that time reveals all things. One day, I will remember that which I have lost...Oh! By the way, I am grateful to you both, as well as your students. The thieves who came here are no more.”

_ But, _ Aloysia began, confused, _why are you thanking us? The monastery was who charged us with coming here. _

_ You were not even speaking to us at the time of the news, _Byleth added.

Sothis looked at the ground as if deep in thought. “I am not sure, yet I am grateful all the same.”

The group began their journey back to the monastery a few minutes later, the house leaders flanking the professors. “Not to pry, but are you two alright?” Claude asked with a slight frown. “You seemed transfixed back there.”

“Thank you for the concern, but it was nothing more than a strange feeling we had,” Aloysia responded. 

“Ah, those are worrisome,” Dimitri agreed. “Maybe it is simply you both adjusting to your new roles.”

Byleth hummed in thought. “Perhaps.”

“In any case, I am certain you will figure it out in time,” Edelgard said.

The twins hoped she was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, their first battle is complete, and Sothis is starting to realize she knows things. We are hoping to continue a good portion of the next bit of plot in this fashion, covering the whole month in a singular chapter. This will change on occasion, but we don’t want to create too much filler at the present time. We have big plans for the plot, so we want to get you all there at a decent speed. We appreciate all of your comments and are working to respond to you all! Sorry if we miss you at any point!
> 
> Next chapter: Big weapons and bigger family drama. Ooooh ahhhh.
> 
> Prior to the twins showing up to the meeting, Manuela had been telling Rhea in detail about her latest conquest. Rhea realized she was trapped with no way out, and was thrilled that the twins’ arrival interrupted the conversation.


	10. Common People

**Part One: Alabaster Dusk**

**Common People**

_ Garland Moon, 1180_

“Take your students into the town? That sounds like a lovely idea. I am sure the townspeople would greatly appreciate getting to meet the current second-year students,” Rhea said with her usual serene smile. “The town and monastery have always supported each other. They often provide us with provisions, and we, of course, protect them.” 

“A nice idea, yes. When are you thinking of taking this trip?” Seteth asked.

The twins looked to each other before Byleth responded simply, “Tomorrow.”

“I do not see a reason to say no,” Rhea said, giving them a nod.

“Your Grace, if I may,” Seteth said quickly. “Even a small outing such as this must be carefully planned with the students’ safety in mind, particularly given Manuela’s absence due to her current assignment with Catherine’s battalion.”

Byleth raised an eyebrow. “Is the town unsafe?”

Aloysia looked to her brother. _ Byleth. Don’t antagonize him. _

_ I am merely asking a question_, Byleth replied.

“Of course not,” Seteth said.

“Then why would we need to plan so carefully for safety?” Byleth asked, earning a scowl.

Before Seteth could respond, Aloysia cut in with, “How about if I asked our father to accompany us?”

Rhea opened her arms, smile widening, “A lovely idea. Please ask the captain if he will join you. I am quite sure Alois would enjoy the trip as well.”

“I will make sure to ask them both. Thank you for agreeing to see us,” Aloysia said with a slight bow, then turning to leave.

_ “I?” _ Byleth echoed, baffled, as his sister began to walk away. _ Would _ we _ not be asking Dad? _

Aloysia shot him a glare. _ No. We wouldn’t be. You can stay here and argue with Seteth more, because clearly you’re enjoying it. _

_ Absolutely not_, Byleth scowled, quickly bowing to Rhea before following after Aloysia. _ I would rather listen to Alois’ endless supply of jokes_.

_ Oh good. You can go ask him to accompany us tomorrow. _Aloysia walked into their father’s office and slammed the door before he could even respond.

Byleth sighed, resigned to his fate.

* * *

The students were chattering excitedly as they slowly made their way across the field outside the monastery toward the town. In the front, Jeralt and Aloysia led them, his arm slung over her shoulder.

“So, are you going to tell me what your brother did to deserve this kind of punishment?” Jeralt asked with a smirk. He looked to the back of the group where Byleth was with Alois, the latter’s boisterous voice indicating the conversation was very one-sided.

Aloysia glared at the ground. “He has some sort of strange vendetta against Seteth. He is _ intent _ on antagonizing him any time we are in meetings where he is involved. It is both frustrating and...embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing? How come?”

“Well...he just...it is!” Aloysia said more forcefully than normal, crossing her arms tight over her chest. Her stomach felt twisted into knots again, though she wasn’t sure why.

Jeralt pulled her tighter to him. She heard him take in a breath, but it was interrupted by, “Lady Teach, you seemed fired up today!”

Aloysia turned her expression to Claude, who immediately blanched. He scratched the back of his neck with a nervous laugh. “Oh! Look at that! Edelgard and Dimitri. I should go find out what they’re plotting…”

Without waiting for a response, Claude all but ran to the other house leaders, inserting himself between them despite the scowls he received. Edelgard discreetly held up a hand to calm Hubert, who was close behind her glowering threateningly at Claude.

“Wow. I’ve never seen that kid pale so fast. Maybe try to ease up before we reach the town,” Jeralt said, ruffling his daughter’s hair with a laugh. She slapped him away half-heartedly before sighing. After a moment of them walking in silence, he leaned over to her conspiratorially. “So, what’s the deal with you and Seteth?”

Aloysia turned to her dad with wide eyes and felt her face instantly heat up. “Deal? I’m unsure of what you speak of, Father.”

Jeralt smiled at her and pulled her under his arm again. “I wasn’t sure I would ever have the opportunity to talk to one of you about this.”

“About...what?” she asked, regarding Jeralt curiously. 

“Relationships!” Jeralt said, patting her arm. “Not that I want to pry _ too _ much, but know you can always come ask me for advice. I used to have to—”

Tuning out what her father was saying, Aloysia glanced over her shoulder to get a glimpse of her brother. _ Byleth. I forgive you for yesterday. _

_ And it only took eight hours of listening to Alois_, Byleth grumbled back. _ A punishment which did not fit the crime. _

_ I know, I’m sorry. But please. Dad is talking to me about...relationships? He won’t stop. Please, By? _Aloysia pleaded.

“Please is right,” Sothis agreed. “Hearing both of the conversations you are involved in is a punishment to _ me_!”

Byleth rolled his eyes, not the least bit sympathetic to Sothis. _ I take it you need Alois? _

_ Yes, please! _Aloysia enthused.

Within moments, Aloysia could hear the knight’s voice growing louder, and she turned to see both Alois and Byleth making their way up to them. _ Thank you, By. _

_ I did us both a favor_, was Byleth’s dry response.

“Captain!” Alois exclaimed. “Byleth said you needed me?”

Jeralt turned a scandalized look to his children and whispered, “Traitors,” as Aloysia ducked out of his hold and went to join her brother.

Before they could make their escape, they crested one final hill and saw the wall around the town just ahead of them. The twins stopped, waiting a moment for their students to surround them for instructions before they allowed them to roam.

“We are here for you to meet the townspeople. The town and monastery have a close bond, and this will allow you to experience it firsthand,” Aloysia began.

“Please, be on your best behavior while here, as this will directly reflect on us and the academy,” Byleth added. “If you’re uncertain about whether or not you’re allowed to do something, the answer is no.”

“So, if Sylvain would do it, don’t do it. Got it,” Ingrid said, smirking at her friend, who just shrugged with a smile.

Before Aloysia could ask if there were questions, she saw a hand raise timidly. She pointed to Marianne, who asked, “S-so, what should we d-do here anyway?”

“Look around! Talk to people! The people of this town are always very welcoming, and they’re incredibly used to the knights coming through. I’m sure they would even answer any questions you may have about their lives here,” Jeralt said with a comforting smile.

Hilda then raised her hand as she asked, “Are we allowed to shop?”

The twins quickly glanced to each other. Aloysia responded with a quick, “Yes.”

A few squeals were heard from within the group as well as some whooping.

When there were no more questions, an over-excited Alois yelled, “Well! Go on then! Have fun!”

The twins went to follow their students into the town when a hand on each of their shoulders stopped them. They looked back at their father, who was giving them an odd smile. “I want to introduce you two to a couple of people.”

* * *

Claude and Hilda wandered around town, arms linked, watching what their classmates were up to. Unsurprisingly, they noticed Ferdinand and Lorenz looking excitedly around the stall selling different teas from both Fódlan and their neighboring countries. Currently, they were arguing about what tea required the most refined palette to enjoy. 

A few stalls down, many of the girls were trying on various jewels and commenting to each other on their beauty. Dorothea was practically drowning in them and had begun placing various pieces all over Petra as well, who was wearing a good-natured smile.

As the two continued to walk, they came upon an area that smelled of sweets and fresh bread. “Oh, Claude! Can we stop there?” Hilda asked, tugging him in the direction of the town’s bakery. A long line of students was already formed, and Raphael’s boisterous voice could be heard from inside asking how much it would cost to buy everything. 

Just as Claude was about to give in, he noticed Dimitri leaving the bakery with a small basket, closely followed by Dedue as always. “Hilda, you go ahead. I think I want to bother His Uppityness for a while.”

“That’s fine, but it’s your loss!” Hilda said, skipping off to join Marianne in line.

Claude trotted after the prince, fully ready to snag a snack from his basket, when he noticed his friend seemed to be intently looking for someone, as Dimitri kept glancing into each stall and shop that he passed. His face lit up a moment later when Edelgard and Hubert left the bookshop, a large stack of books in the retainer’s arms. Claude ducked away, sneaking into a nearby tree to eavesdrop just as Dimitri was asking Dedue to give him a minute; a moment later, Edelgard could be heard asking Hubert the same.

Though both Dedue and Hubert looked reluctant to agree, they stayed back as Edelgard and Dimitri walked away, out of Claude’s earshot.

Despite not being able to hear the conversation, Claude could tell it was awkward from the stiffness of both of their shoulders. Edelgard smiled politely at Dimitri, who appeared to be rambling about the basket he was holding. The prince scratched his neck in embarrassment as he handed the basket over to the future emperor. She regarded it curiously before opening it, her face lighting up as she saw its contents.

Dimitri smiled as Edelgard happily hugged it to her chest, clearly pleased with her gift. They made their way to a bench, conversation seeming to flow more easily, before Edelgard pulled what looked to be a sweet bun from the basket. She took a bite of it, pulling a second one from the basket and offering it to Dimitri. He tried to refuse, but she eventually won their squabble, shoving it into his hands and preening in victory.

Claude watched the two for a moment longer, rolling his eyes at their antics before a sudden tug on his cloak had him flipping to hold himself up by his knees. Matching pairs of deep blue eyes stared back at him and he smiled. “Teaches!”

* * *

Jeralt knocked on the door to a small, unassuming house near the edge of town, patiently waiting. When no one answered, he knocked slightly louder. From inside, the twins heard a deep, grumbled, “Will you wait just a moment? I have to get to the door to open it, you know.”

When the door opened, the twins were surprised to see a grumpy-looking man who appeared just older than their father. _ Dad has friends? _ Byleth asked.

Aloysia’s eyebrows were raised. _ I am just as surprised as you. _

_ He appears to be as well, _Byleth responded, with a nod to the man.

There was a moment of complete silence among the group before the man exclaimed, “Jeralt? Is that you?”

“Did you say Jeralt?” a woman’s voice rang out from within the house. “Well, invite him in, Roger!”

Jeralt gave a small chuckle before calling into the door, “That’s not currently an option, Mary! We’re in charge of quite a few academy students right now.”

“We?” The woman whose voice they heard, whose name was apparently Mary, came around the corner to join her husband. As she looked to Byleth and Aloysia, her eyes widened in surprise. “Are these your twins, Jeralt?”

Their father gave a wide smile. “Yep. These are them!”

Mary’s surprise gave way to a warm smile. “Well, you two are much bigger than the last time we saw you.”

Before the twins could ask about that, Roger scoffed. “I certainly hope so, dear. It’s been 20 or so years now. Although, Jeralt, you haven’t changed a bit. As a doctor, I should probably be concerned, but maybe the goddess just takes favor with you...wouldn’t know why.”

Jeralt laughed in a way the twins hadn’t heard in quite a while and pulled the older couple into a hug. “It’s good to see you both! Sorry I haven’t contacted you before now.”

Mary patted his arm as he pulled back. “We know things back then were...difficult. You had lost so much. I’m glad to see you’re all safe. You seem to have done a good job with these two after all.”

Before Jeralt could respond, Aloysia jumped in. “Forgive me, but Dad, have you forgotten to tell us something?”

“Perhaps why we’re here, or how you know them, or how they know us, or…?” Byleth added.

Roger suddenly laughed. “Jeralt did always have a way of keeping secrets from everyone.”

“This wasn’t meant to be a secret,” Jeralt started with a slight frown. “I’m just not sure I ever knew when to bring it up. Roger and Mary have lived here for as long as I’ve known them. They were good friends to your mother and I, and they helped me take care of you two shortly after she died.”

“You knew our mom?” Aloysia asked, looking between Byleth and the couple. Her brother appeared just as taken off guard. “What was she like?”

Mary seemed to glance behind the twins before saying, “She was lovely. One of the most kind and generous people you could ever come to meet. Your father used to love picking flowers for her.”

“Alright, Mary,” Jeralt said, face red, “no more embarrassing stories for my kids. They already have enough dirt on me.”

Aloysia turned to argue with her dad when she noticed a flash of yellow disappear into a tree not far down the road. She glanced to Byleth. _ You saw that? _

Byleth nodded minutely. _ Claude’s up to something. Should we go get him? _

Aloysia narrowed her eyes, trying to determine what the brunette was up to. _ Let’s wait for a moment and see what he does_. 

As they kept watch on the noble, the twins heard Roger ask, “Are they alright? It’s as if they can’t hear us all of a sudden.”

Their father gave a chuckle. “They do this. Turns out they’re telepathic, so they sometimes forget to include the rest of us in conversation.”

“Not a conversation,” Byleth said. “An observation.”

“Is something the matter?” Jeralt frowned and turned to look over his shoulder. “Hm. Since when are the prince and princess this close?”

“What?” Aloysia asked, glancing around until she saw the pair. “Oh, so that’s what he’s doing.”

“Please excuse us,” Byleth said, quickly bowing to the couple. “We need to check on a few of our students.”

Before the twins could leave, Mary took their hands up in hers. “I just want you two to know that you’re always welcome here.”

“If you ever get tired of your old dad here, just pay us a visit,” Roger said with a toothy grin in Jeralt’s direction.

Aloysia’s chest felt strangely tight as she replied with a soft, “Thank you,” before Byleth quickly pulled her down the road. 

Claude didn’t seem to notice their approach, too focused on watching Edelgard and Dimitri. Byleth observed, _ It would be easy to knock him down. Perhaps it would teach him a lesson this time. _

_ No! _ Aloysia responded. _ That would also alert Edelgard and Dimitri to what he was doing. Let’s not ruin their fun. I have a better idea anyway. _

Byleth watched as his sister walked up to the tree and grabbed a handful of Claude’s cape, yanking it sharply. The archer appeared to momentarily lose his balance before catching himself on the branch with his knees. He gave the twins his signature shit-eating grin and exclaimed, “Teaches!”

“Out of the tree, Claude,” Byleth scowled. As Claude obeyed, Byleth went on, “I believe my instructions were to be on your _ best _ behavior?”

“But I was worried for Edelgard,” Claude said with an exaggerated pout. “I didn’t know what Dimitri’s intentions were with her.”

Byleth raised an eyebrow and pointed to where the pair’s retainers were trying and miserably failing at appearing nonchalant. “I’m certain Hubert would have intervened _ well _ before anything could have happened.”

“In that case, I’ve got nothing,” Claude said, putting his hands behind his head with a smile. “Blame it on my natural curiosity.”

Aloysia rolled her eyes. “Because of your lacking behavior, you get to spend the rest of this trip accompanied by Byleth.”

“You know I always love getting your undivided attention, Sir Teach,” Claude said with a wink.

“Since you seem to enjoy people-watching so much,” Byleth said, ignoring Claude’s comment, “you get to help me keep an eye on everyone else, so we don’t have any more incidents.”

Claude lit up. “That is an area I am _ particularly _ skilled in.”

“You’ve kept a close enough eye on these two already,” Byleth went on. “I think it’s best we check in on everyone else.”

With this, he pulled Claude along towards the busier end of the marketplace.

Aloysia looked around, noticing some of the students had made their way over to where Jeralt was talking to Roger and Mary and seemed to be asking about life in the town. She was happy to see smiles on everyone’s faces after the fight they had seen only a few weeks prior, and she hoped things would stay peaceful. 

It was sunset when Alois’ booming voice called for everyone to begin heading back to the monastery, and Aloysia almost felt bad having to end their fun.

* * *

The next morning found the twins once again standing in Rhea’s audience chamber. She wore a frown in place of her usual benevolent expression, which had them instantly on alert. “I am sorry to call you in so soon after the last battle, but we have received worrying reports from Faerghus.”

“It appears that Lord Lonato has been rallying troops against the Church of Seiros. He’s been showing hostility to the church for some time,” Seteth said, shaking his head.

“May I ask who Lord Lonato is?” Aloysia asked, looking between the two. 

“He is a minor lord of the Kingdom who rules over the Gaspard area,” Rhea informed them.

Seteth continued, “We have already sent a vanguard unit of the knights to Castle Gaspard. We do not expect much resistance, as Lord Lonato’s army is mostly civilian militia. Hopefully, everything will be suppressed by the time you arrive.”

Rhea hummed. “In any case, I would still like you to take some of the students and travel with the rear guard to deal with any possible aftermath. It is unlikely that you will see battle, but be prepared for the worst.”

The twins looked to each other, a feeling of worry passing between them, before they were brought out of their thoughts by the chamber doors opening. “You sent for me, Lady Rhea?”

“I am certain you’ve already met Catherine,” Rhea said, indicating the newcomer. “She will be leading the rear guard you are to join.”

Catherine smiled at them. “I’m excited to see how well Jeralt has taught you. I’ve heard quite a lot of tales about you two.”

“Good or bad?” Byleth asked. Catherine only laughed in response.

“You will be departing in two days’ time. This mission should not require as large a force as your previous one. Three students from each house, along with their house leaders, should suffice. Please begin to prepare them at once,” Rhea said. “This mission should prove useful in demonstrating to them how foolish it would be to ever turn their blades on the church.”

The twins bowed to the archbishop as she asked Catherine to join her in her office to discuss some more details about the mission. They were about to turn to exit when they heard someone clear their throat.

“Aloysia,” Seteth called out. “Please stay back for a moment, if you would.”

Aloysia gave her brother a nod of reassurance before he reluctantly left the chamber. She turned back to the advisor. “Is there something else you need of me?”

Seteth’s expression became one of sorrow for a moment before he seemed to collect himself again. “I wanted to make you aware that this mission could be difficult for one of your students. Ashe Duran is the adoptive son of Lord Lonato, and I understand he speaks highly of the man. I will not tell you how to handle this, but I want you to at least know of the situation before going in.”

“I...thank you. It is troubling to hear that is the case, but I appreciate you telling me,” Aloysia said with a frown. The advisor gave her a nod in response and she left, much on her mind.

* * *

“Ashe, whatever happens tomorrow, if you need to distance yourself, we would understand. I know this situation can’t be easy for you,” Aloysia said to the teen as the group was tying up their horses. The sun was setting on the group as they began to set up camp just a few miles away from Castle Gaspard.

Ashe looked to the ground for a moment, gathering his thoughts, before he looked at his professor with resolve burning in his eyes. “This is something I have to do, Professor. Lord Lonato isn’t unreasonable. If he will listen to anyone, I’m the best bet.”

Aloysia let out a breath and put a hand on his shoulder. “Alright. The offer still stands, though.”

The boy nodded then walked away to join his classmates to help with the camp. As Aloysia watched him with his friends, she heard her brother come up beside her. _ What’s on your mind? _

_ You can’t tell? _

_ I’m also worried for him. With any luck, we won’t see battle. They may be training as knights, but I doubt any amount of experience could lessen the pain of striking down a loved one_, Byleth replied, expression grim.

Aloysia sighed. _ I just wish more of the students wore smiles that were true. _

“Your students appear as if they have gone through many trials in life,” Sothis said. “Too many for ones so young.”

_ And there is still so much we don’t know about them, _Aloysia added.

Sothis hummed. “As their instructors, it is your duty to help them through such difficult times. Maybe you can tell them a tale to take their minds off of what may come.”

Byleth raised an eyebrow. _ They may be children, but they are not _ that _ young. _

“Even still!” Sothis responded curtly with a glare. “It would be better than leaving them alone with thoughts that I am sure they would rather not have.”

_ She’s right, _ Aloysia said. _ How about if we tell the story about Broderick? _

Byleth gave her a small smile before walking to where the students were sitting around the fire. Most of them were quiet, absorbed in their own thoughts, but all looked up upon hearing Byleth approach.

He sat down beside Dorothea and simply asked, “Who would like to hear the story of when Aloysia was a little girl and so badly scared one of our father’s mercenaries that he could never look her in the eyes again?”

“Byleth,” Aloysia scowled, sitting across from him beside Dimitri.

Byleth snorted. “Alright, fine. It was both of us.”

“I would be liking to hear it!” Petra exclaimed from her spot next to Dorothea. The others chorused their agreement.

As Byleth began the story, Aloysia was relieved to see the students seemed just a little more at ease.

* * *

Castle Gaspard was surrounded by a thick mist when they arrived the next morning. The group dismounted, Catherine sending some of her troops ahead to assess the current situation. As the knights left with their orders, she turned to the professors and students, all of whom were watching her intently. She blinked at them. “Do I have something on my face?”

“N-no!” Dimitri stuttered. “It’s just such an honor to fight alongside you!”

Hubert nodded. “So long as we have Catherine, wielding Thunderbrand, on our side, no enemy has hope of victory.”

The twins tilted their heads simultaneously, brows furrowed. Catherine laughed and pulled out an impressive sword that had large barbs branching from both sides of the blade. “Do you not know? This is Thunderbrand. It’s one of the Heroes’ Relics.”

When the twins continued to look confused, she continued with, “A long, long time ago, the goddess bestowed divine weapons upon 10 heroes, which were passed down to their descendants. It’s an honor to wield, but I hope there won’t be any chance for that today. Our mission is to help with the aftermath, not the fight.”

“I’m hoping there won’t be need for any fighting today,” Ashe said, eyes downcast. “He has always been willing to listen, so I hope I can reason with him.”

“I cannot fathom why Lord Lonato would incite such a reckless rebellion,” Edelgard mused aloud.

Ashe grit his teeth. “I wish I knew. He never mentioned anything of the like to me.”

“He probably just didn’t want you caught up in his troubles,” Mercedes said, laying a hand on his arm.

“There were a lot of troubles after Duscur,” Dimitri said, glaring at the ground. Dedue seemed to take a step closer to him and quite a few of the students shifted uncomfortably.

“Is Duscur a region in Faerghus?” Byleth asked. “Forgive us, but our travels rarely took us through the Kingdom.”

There was a long, uncomfortable silence before Dedue said, “It was my homeland.”

“About four years ago, the king of Faerghus was...murdered by the people of Duscur. There was swift...retribution against the people of Duscur, and we now refer to those events as the Tragedy of Duscur,” Catherine explained, looking somber.

There was a moment where everyone seemed to think on the information before Lysithea asked, “But how was Lord Lonato connected to that?”

“There’s more to the story. They had accomplices within the Kingdom — Lord Lonato’s son Christophe was one of them. He was handed over to the church for execution,” Catherine said.

Aloysia’s eyes widened dramatically. “The church executes criminals?”

Catherine pursed her lips. “Speaking from the church’s perspective, we simply passed judgment according to our doctrine in place of the Kingdom, which was in complete chaos. Whatever the truth of the incident may be, Lord Lonato has harbored resentment toward the church ever since.”

The knight paused for a moment, expression falling again. Most of the students looked solemn, but Byleth thought he saw anger quickly flash across Edelgard’s face, before she too looked sad. “Well...to be more specific...his grudge isn’t only against the church, but also the one who turned Christophe over…”

Before she could continue her thought, another knight ran up yelling, “Report!”

Catherine motioned for the man to relax, but he continued, “The enemy is approaching. They can’t be avoided, and their numbers are far greater than we predicted!”

Grim looks were shared among the students as the knight then said, “They must have used the fog to slip past the vanguard’s perimeter!”

Catherine’s expression darkened. “It looks like our mission has changed. Everyone, prepare for battle!”

The woman ran off to join her knights while the students looked to the twins for guidance. A mix of determination and sorrow was written on their faces. Aloysia looked back to the area they would be fighting in. “While some of you may know the terrain, it will still be a difficult fight with this mist. We brought plenty of torches, but that can only show us so much.”

“Everyone will have to be on alert. If the enemy is sneaky enough, they could come at us from anywhere. We will have to move strategically,” Byleth stated authoritatively. He paced as he contemplated their strategy. “We must stay close. If we are to become separated, we would stand little chance against an ambush. Our priority is Lord Lonato.”

“Professor, please let me attempt to reason with him first!” Ashe insisted. 

Aloysia looked to her brother, who nodded. She looked to her student. “We will make sure you have the chance, but you must be prepared for the worst outcome. If he doesn’t listen, we have an obligation both to keep you all safe and make sure this rebellion is quelled.”

Ashe gave her a jerky nod. When he said nothing else, Byleth continued his instructions, grouping them up according to weapon strengths. “Aloysia and I will be in front this time. Dimitri, guard the left flank, while Edelgard and Claude will guard the right. The five of us will have torches — hopefully it will give us a larger line of sight. Any final questions?”

When the group stayed quiet, Byleth lit all of the torches, taking the students into the mist. The area was eerily quiet before a group led by an older man on a horse was made visible by their light. The groups regarded each other for a tense moment when there was the sound of more footsteps. Lonato’s troops gasped and murmured as Catherine came into view.

Her blade glowed red as she charged at Lonato’s men, letting out a fearsome cry as she cut them down. 

“It’s you…” Lonato hissed, words dripping with venom. Catherine turned to him, a smirk on her face. “Thunderstrike Cassandra! It was your wretched zealotry that killed my son!”

Catherine laughed mockingly, glaring at the man. “The only name I answer to is Catherine. Prepare to taste the blade of one who serves the goddess. Now you face a knight of Seiros!”

“Fall back to the high ground!” Lonato yelled to his militia, disappearing into the mist. 

Catherine cursed, chasing after him with her troops just a step behind her. Byleth turned to the students. “We move quickly, but we _ must _ stay together.”

The group began their trek through the mist, taking out enemies as they appeared. Given the poor line of sight, the mages in the group lit fires to extend the range in which they could see. The house leaders were quickly taking out individual militia members as they approached, but the enemy forces offered little resistance.

After a while, though, Petra stopped, suddenly yelling, “BE LOOKING OUT!”

Before the others could see what she was referring to, two men on horses galloped through the group, scattering the students. It was only a moment before infantrymen were flooding out of the brush. Everyone found themselves fighting, trying to defend one another as best as they could. 

Dorothea stopped a blow meant for Petra before the other girl quickly felled the soldier. Another group came running towards them, but the girls were ready this time, swords clanging as they easily parried the blows. A few feet away, Dedue was brawling anyone who came too close to Dimitri, who was holding his own, and Hubert cast poisonous clouds at anyone Edelgard didn’t fell with her first strike. 

Aloysia shoved Ashe aside when he faltered a moment too long, recognizing the person intent on harming him. Strengthening his resolve, he waited for an opening before letting an arrow fly. He would mourn them later, but for now, he had to focus.

Kneeling to the side, Marianne was healing a deep wound in Claude’s arm. He laughed nervously. “They got a little too close for the bow to be helpful. Thanks for the quick help, Marianne.”

Lysithea was throwing fire at surrounding enemies when one snuck up behind. Before she could even finish unsheathing her sword, the fighter fell, an arrow protruding from his chest. Mercedes marched over wearing a stormy expression. “You won’t hurt my friends!” she yelled, ripping the arrow out and putting it back in her quiver. 

“That was so impressive!” Leonie yelled as she struck down the first cavalryman. 

Once the last man had fallen, the students caught their breath and began to return to their formation. Aloysia had just indicated they should move out again when the clomping of hooves became audible again.

The second horseman emerged from the mist, charging towards the students. Byleth reacted quickly, turning and running the man through with his lance. The rider fell lifelessly to the ground, while the horse turned and ran into the woods.

There was little more resistance as they continued through the mist, following the path up toward the castle. As they made their way up the hill, the mist began to dissipate, allowing the group to see Lonato, alone on his horse with Catherine’s sword pointed at him.

“Wait!” Ashe yelled, getting stopped by the twins as he tried to run forward. “Lonato! Please stop this!”

Lonato looked to his adoptive son and frowned. “Stand down, Ashe. I must destroy these evil-doers by any means necessary.”

“We can still talk this out!” Ashe pleaded. “Please surrender!”

“Rhea is an infidel who has deceived the people and desecrated the goddess! We have virtue and the goddess herself on our side!” the man Ashe knew as a father proclaimed. 

Ashe fought against the arms holding him back. “Even if that’s true, it was wrong to bring the townspeople into this!”

“I’m sorry, Ashe,” the man said, face hardening. “But I have to put an end to this.”

Lonato yanked on his reins, his horse rearing back and kicking Catherine, knocking her to the ground. Using the opening, Lonato raised his arm to strike the knight. 

Ashe ducked, avoiding the professors’ reach and raising his bow. He fired a single arrow. 

Lonato looked to Ashe just as the arrow pierced his brow. His body fell heavily to the ground as Ashe screamed, sprinting over with Aloysia close behind. When he reached the body, Ashe dropped to the ground and pounded his fists on Lonato’s chestplate. “Why...why did this happen? You were always so kind...everyone was so nice to us! And I killed them...I killed them! What does that make me?”

Aloysia knelt down beside her student, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and gently lifting him away, leading him back out to the horses. After a moment, he stopped and Aloysia looked down at him. “I need to check on my brother and sister. I need to know they’re okay.”

Nodding, she released the teen, who walked solemnly toward the town, turning his face away as he passed the body. When he vanished from her sight, she looked to Byleth. _ I’m taking the rest back to the horses. Finish up here and bring Ashe along. _

As Aloysia left with the other students in tow, Byleth turned to Catherine, fixing her with a cold stare. The horrified expressions on many of the students’ faces turned his stomach, making him taste bile. “The students have been subjected to more than enough today. We’re taking our leave. I trust you can clean up.”

Without waiting for a response, he turned and headed in the direction Ashe had gone.

* * *

As Byleth and Ashe saw the horses come into view, they could hear Edelgard say, “Those who allied themselves with Lord Lonato believed they were fighting for a just cause.”

“But they weren’t knights or soldiers! Just fathers and sons!” Dimitri shouted, voice cracking in sadness.

“Your Highness,” Dedue said, placing a hand on the prince’s shoulder. 

Dimitri seemed to deflate a bit. “I’m sorry. I simply think we should have found another way…”

Edelgard was quiet. “Yes, I agree. And yet...it would be disrespectful to consider them simply victims, when they died for what they believed in.”

“Even if my mind understands that...my heart…” Dimitri shook his head.

“Perhaps we should save this conversation for another time,” Mercedes said, nodding her head to Ashe. 

The two future rulers stopped and turned to make sure their horses were ready for travel, the rest of the students following suit. Just as Byleth was about to mount his own horse, Catherine came running over. “Professors!”

She stopped in front of Aloysia, clutching a scroll. “I’m afraid this may be far more serious than we anticipated. Please deliver this to Seteth upon your return. It’s urgent, but we shouldn’t speak on this matter here.”

Aloysia gave a curt nod, tucking the scroll into a saddlebag before accepting Byleth’s hand up. It was going to be a long trip back.

* * *

When the twins entered Rhea’s audience chamber to give their report, the mood was bleak. Rhea still smiled as usual as she held out her arms in greeting, but they could feel nothing joyous about what they had done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End note: More trauma! The game really would have been improved by group hugs and therapy, if you ask us. I know we all know that it only goes downhill from here for a while, but we will still try to throw in the fluff. Hopefully everyone enjoyed the return of Roger and Mary! We never expected to like them so much or for them to get so popular, but here we are with OCs that plan to stick around.
> 
> Also, looks like their friends are starting to ship Edelgard and Dimitri. They just want the two of them to have happiness in their lives. Let us know your thoughts on the story so far in the comments! Even if it’s not right away, we will make sure to respond to all of you!
> 
> Just so you all know, we had a five-minute laugh about the fact that I (paradox) accidentally typed “one who services the goddess.” So, there’s an additional laugh for you all as well.
> 
> Next chapter: There’s an assassination plan to foil and a theft to screw up. Also, why is there a weapon in a casket?


	11. The Blade That Was Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ: As we are all well aware, COVID-19 is an international issue. We hope all of you reading this are staying safe and healthy during these times. On that note, we will keep you updated if anything will happen on our end that alters our usual posting. We are working to self-isolate as much as possible and plan to continue doing so for the foreseeable future, but we never know what may come. We appreciate you all sticking with us, and we will hope for the best for all of you as well.

**Part One: Alabaster Dusk**

**The Blade That Was Broken**

_ Garland Moon, 1180_

“So, what’s this meeting for, Teaches and Professor?” Claude said, perching on the edge of one of the tables in the reception hall. All of the second-years were scattered between the tables, looking to their professors.

Manuela smiled at everyone. “We have been tasked by the archbishop with a special mission next month. Who can tell me which festival is coming up?”

“The Goddess’s Rite of Rebirth!” Annette exclaimed happily, bouncing in her seat a little.

“Right,” Aloysia said. “It is considered the church’s most important day of the year. This means a lot of people who aren’t normally here will be visiting.”

“Yeah, yeah, we know all that,” Caspar said. “What does that have to do with the mission?”

“Patience is a virtue all nobles should exemplify,” Ferdinand chided.

“Our mission at Castle Gaspard revealed more than a minor rebellion,” Byleth said. “A letter was found on Lord Lonato, detailing a plot to assassinate Lady Rhea on the day of the Goddess’s Rite of Rebirth.”

“Not even the group he amassed would have succeeded against the Knights of Seiros, he wasn’t so arrogant to think that. Lonato wasn’t so callous to send them to their deaths,” Ashe said, looking down at his hands.

“Though their plan seems implausible, we cannot afford to ignore it. We have been tasked with security on the day of the ritual. There are several areas where defense is lacking. As we do not know their precise strategy, we will split into groups to defend each vulnerable area,” Byleth went on.

“Really, the most protected area will be the tower, where Lady Rhea will be. Practically all of the knights will be stationed around it. What if that’s what the enemy is counting on?” Dimitri said, brow furrowed in thought.

Claude nodded. “Dimitri has a point. I don’t think the bad guys are really trying to assassinate the archbishop.”

“Yes, I agree,” Edelgard said. “A barely concealed secret message, trying to distract from what’s really going on? Sloppy, to say the least.”

“Plus, Ashe is right,” Dimitri jumped back in. “Lord Lonato was a smart man. _ Why _would he keep such a secretive note on his person?”

“People don’t just carry around secret notes,” Claude agreed, “Someone wanted us to find it.”

“That way, while everyone was searching for a phantom assassin, they could achieve their true goal with ease,” Edelgard nodded. “But what _ is _ their true goal?”

Leonie hummed. “Well, they could be after money? I hear noble families donate quite a lot to the church.”

“I’ve heard there’s a treasure vault, too. It probably has money _ and _ priceless jewels. That seems like the kind of place a bad guy would want some alone time in,” Dorothea added.

“Oh no!” Annette cried, jumping up. “There’s also quite a bit of classified information and research in the library and the staff members’ offices!”

Felix made a skeptical noise. “Really, I think they would be more interested in the weapons powerful enough to challenge a Hero’s Relic.”

“Weapons?” Sylvain asked. “We all know the monastery’s true treasure is its women. And I will defend them until my last breath.”

Byleth turned to Aloysia, sighing. _ I truly do worry about your house sometimes. _

Aloysia simply rolled her eyes back at him, only half hearing Raphael yell, “Maybe they’re after our delicious food! We can’t let them get their hands on it!”

Linhardt sighed, sitting up from where he had his head laying on the table. “The monastery grounds are enormous, not just aboveground but below it as well. Perhaps they are looking for something beneath the monastery?”

“Like bodies?” Ashe squeaked. “You think they know how to raise the dead?”

Lysithea paled. “They could reanimate the bodies of the saints and force them to fight the church with their immense power!”

There was a moment of complete silence before Ferdinand gave a sharp laugh. “I think there are far more plausible ways for an enemy to fight the church without using necromancy.” He grew serious, frowning. “If all of the knights are busy protecting the archbishop, with plenty of strangers milling about, no one would notice a few individuals. They would have no trouble accessing the grounds to look for weaknesses that they could later exploit in a coup.”

“I don’t think throwing out ideas like this is getting us very far, given how quickly they’ve become absurd,” Edelgard cut in quickly. “We will need to investigate the monastery prior to the Rite of Rebirth to see if we can better determine the enemy’s plan.”

“Well, this is quite the meeting,” a new voice said. The twins turned to see a woman they didn’t recognize, Cyril close behind her. “Oh, we haven’t been introduced. I am Shamir.”

“Shamir is one of the Knights of Seiros!” Cyril added. “I’m her apprentice. She’s helping me get stronger so I can protect Lady Rhea.”

“We appreciate the help you’re all giving us at the Goddess’s Rite of Rebirth,” Shamir said. “It gives me peace of mind, knowing that there are so many looking out for Rhea’s safety.”

Byleth nodded before turning back to the students. “We know there is a great deal of uncertainty around this mission, more than any of our previous ones. We may not know what will happen on the day of the Rite, but we need to be prepared for the worst. We will be spending less time in the classroom, and more time training, to prepare for this mission.”

“During the course of the month, think on what we could be facing. We can discuss any ideas you come up with during class,” Manuela instructed. “For now, go enjoy the rest of your day, and be ready for whatever we may throw at you tomorrow!”

* * *

_ Blue Sea Moon, 1180 _

“Greetings, Professors!” the gatekeeper chirped as the twins approached him on their way back from the market. “I have nothing to report today!”

Aloysia hummed. “I don’t think I would consider that a bad thing, at least. So, good. Your lack of news is refreshing.”

“Are you looking forward to the Goddess’s Rite of Rebirth?” Byleth asked.

The gatekeeper smiled. “Very much so! I’ve been asked to be a guide for the day. I hope I get a group of lovely ladies to lead around…I’m so used to guarding the gate, but with it thrown wide open for the festival, there’s no need for it that day!”

Byleth frowned. “There will be no gatekeepers? How will the monastery ensure everyone’s safety? With no guard, it would be easy for...unsavory characters to make their way in.”

“The knights will be all over the monastery grounds,” the gatekeeper said. “But I guess you have a point. That’s a pretty big security flaw. Maybe I should bring it up with my commander…”

“It couldn’t hurt,” Aloysia said, patting his shoulder. “Either way, we appreciate your insight on this. Keep up the good work!”

They continued towards the Blue Lions’ classroom, keeping a subtle eye out for anyone who may be watching them too closely. The three house leaders were waiting for them, their playful bickering audible before the twins even walked into the room.

“Seriously?” they heard Claude asking. “Miss Perfection doesn’t know how to _ swim? _ Isn’t that supposed to be something everyone learns?”

“And where, pray tell, would I have learned? There are no rivers or lakes anywhere near Enbarr, and I had no interest in swimming in the castle moat,” Edelgard snapped back. “It is far less crucial a skill than you make it out to be.”

“Until you fall into a river during battle and everyone else is too busy _ not dying _ to save you,” Claude pointed out. “Even His Properness knows how to swim. I bet he thinks it’s important.”

“W-well, yes,” Dimitri stammered. The twins walked in to see him frantically looking between the two other nobles, reluctant to take a side. “But it is not as if it is a skill I often use. Fhirdiad’s icy waters would kill even the heartiest person in minutes.”

Claude grinned at the twins from where he was laying on one of the desks. “The professors agree with me. Right, Teaches?”

“Hmm. Do we?” Byleth replied simply. “Anyway, we have a mission to discuss.”

“Yes,” Edelgard agreed, looking relieved that the previous conversation had ended. “The Rite of Rebirth is in just a few days. We must prepare.”

Byleth and Aloysia sat on Aloysia’s desk at the front of the room before Byleth looked back to the leaders. “We spoke with the gatekeeper. The front gate will be open to all, with no guards on duty. There seems to be little concern about security, given the number of Knights that will be here. We can be confident, then, that the assassination is a ruse. What have you and your classmates learned in your own investigations?”

“Dorothea spoke to a priest who is often near the Knights’ Hall. There is indeed a treasure vault near there, but it contains primarily weapons and artifacts, nothing that would be truly upsetting if it were lost. The church stores its more valuable treasures elsewhere,” Edelgard reported. “I doubt that is their goal.”

“Regarding information, Annette talked to one of the librarians, who told her that the books housed there are easily accessible. There’s no use in stealing those, even if some have value,” Dimitri said, chin in his hand with thought.

Claude gave a displeased hum. “That’s the same thing Lysithea learned about Hanneman’s research. While valuable, there isn’t a use in stealing it. No one else can decipher his notes.”

“Bernadetta spoke with Alois at lunch. He said that the Goddess Tower is a source of curiosity, given that it is both sacred and forbidden. Many students have unsuccessfully tried to sneak in to see what is housed there. But given that the archbishop and many knights will be there during the Rite, it would be foolhardy for an enemy to attempt to enter it,” Edelgard said, frowning.

Dimitri sighed and shook his head. “Poor Dedue mentioned a possible plot to the monk who is in charge of the greenhouses, then had to listen to a nearly endless airing of the man’s concerns that the plants would be stolen. Many of them are rare or otherwise extinct, and some could be used in strong potions and poisons, but taking a singular one for that end wouldn’t require such an elaborate plot.”

“On the other hand, Raphael decided to ask the kitchen staff about his theory anyway,” Claude said with a bemused expression. “That ended as expected.”

There was a pause as everyone contemplated the information before Claude suddenly smirked at them. “I did hear that Marianne stumbled across Linhardt snooping around the cathedral yesterday. Apparently, he dragged her over to the knight guarding the Holy Mausoleum.” 

“Yes, he did mention that,” Edelgard nodded, looking deep in thought. “He had been curious about what lay beneath the monastery. The entrance to the Holy Mausoleum is within the cathedral, and it will be open to the public on the day of the Rite. I do find that...odd.”

“I’m not so sure it’s as odd as you think,” Dimitri said. “Mercedes told me that she was with Marianne attending choir before this all happened, so she joined them as well. The knight told them that Seiros’ tomb is there, and it’s sealed _ with magic_. They appear to suspect that grave robbing could happen, but why?”

“The necromancy theory was right!” Claude yelled, getting shushed by his friends in response.

“Something happening to the tomb of Seiros on the most holy day of the year would certainly damage the morale of the church and its faithful. We don’t know the enemy’s true motives, but this would make sense given the uprising Lord Lonato led. This may be part of a larger plot against the church,” Byleth said, ignoring Claude’s remark entirely.

“If that’s true, we don’t want to cause a panic among those who have come to pray during the festival. We’ll need a small, covert team to go in. I assume the three of you will want to be a part of it?” Aloysia asked. All three nodded, looking determined. “Good. I would like you each to pick two more people to bring. Keep the mission parameters in mind.”

“I cannot think of someone more adept at being covert than Hubert,” Edelgard said, while her friends nodded in fervent agreement.

Dimitri hummed. “Well, Dedue may not be quite as adept as Hubert, but he is remarkably quiet, so he would be a good choice from my house.”

“Oooh, a party of the retainers!” Claude said, receiving skeptical looks. “Don’t worry, Hilda’s sneaky. How else do you think she knows so much about everyone? Also, I’ll drag along Ignatz. He has an obsession with the saints. He’d be horrified to hear of Seiros’ tomb being desecrated.”

“Linhardt has expressed a deep interest in the Holy Mausoleum since his conversation with the knight guarding it. I think it’s fair that he be able to join us,” Edelgard said.

Everyone looked to Dimitri, who appeared deep in thought. “I’ll take Felix. We don’t know who we are facing, and he can take on pretty much anyone.”

Aloysia and Byleth looked to each other for a moment. After a few seconds of silent conversation between them, they nodded to the group. “That will work out fine,” Aloysia said. “And we will make sure to give everyone else an area to regularly patrol to keep up the appearance of nonchalance.”

“There is also the chance, albeit small, that we could be wrong. In addition to keeping up appearances, it is for the best that we have patrols to ensure no part of the monastery is vulnerable,” Byleth added.

With a few final questions, the group dismissed. Aloysia looked to her brother. _ Even I’m wary of who or what we may be facing. _

_ Yes, _ Byleth nodded. _ We cannot afford to be underprepared. We had best return to training. _

* * *

The mission group was slowly making their way to the cathedral, arriving at the meeting point either alone or in small groups so as not to raise suspicion. While most had arrived, the group was waiting on Linhardt and Hilda to show up. Everyone was chatting about their plans for the day off they had the next day, when Seteth came up, accompanied by Flayn.

“You all appear too relaxed for my liking,” Seteth said with a frown. “We are heading to the Goddess Tower now, as the Rite is about to begin. Remember, we are relying on you to keep the monastery secure. We cannot afford any mistakes.”

Flayn sighed, then gave a cheeky grin to the twins. “May I tell you something, professors?”

The twins shrugged and she leaned a bit closer, only slightly lowering her voice. “My brother can be...callous. He told me that he was concerned about the two of you, hinting that perhaps patrolling a coffin would be a more apt job for you.”

Seteth’s eyes widened before he sighed heavily. “That was said in jest, Flayn...and in _ confidence_. Please, excuse us. We should take our leave before my sister finds herself in even more trouble.”

As a pouting Flayn was led away, the students began to snicker. Just before the two were out of earshot, the group heard Flayn say a pointed, “You’ve always taught me to be truthful, _ brother._”

At that, Claude burst into hysterics, leaning against a wall for support as his contagious laughter spread to the other students. Hilda and Linhardt arrived just as the laughter began to fade, prompting her to complain, “Aww, did I miss something good?”

Byleth frowned at Seteth’s back. _ His presence tires me. He has no need to say the things he does. _

_ Please leave this be, By. I’m sick of whatever this is. Neither of you arguing is productive. Let’s just...focus on the mission, _Aloysia replied, sighing. 

“It _ was _callous, I will admit,” Sothis said, watching the retreating figures. “He does not appear to be very skilled at communicating with his equals. Do not allow it to upset you, though. You have more important tasks to focus on.”

_ Fine. I will leave this be. But the next time he says something demeaning about you, I will _ not _ be so kind, _ Byleth frowned.

Aloysia raised an eyebrow. _ He also spoke ill of you, or can you not hear anymore? _

_ I can hear perfectly well. I choose to not listen to him_, Byleth replied simply. To the students he said, “We had best make our way to the Holy Mausoleum, if we wish to find tactical positions before the enemy arrives.”

The group nodded then slipped through the door, closing it behind them with hardly a click. As they made their way down the stairs, voices became audible from the room just ahead. Byleth motioned for everyone to arm themselves, and they began to stay close to the wall. They regrouped near the doorway into the main chamber. 

“Looks like they were one step ahead. Guess an ambush is out,” Claude whispered.

_ This is less than ideal_, Byleth said. _ What can you see? _

Aloysia peeked around the corner for a moment, trying to commit the room to memory. _ There’s 12 people that the students can definitely handle. The leader looks stronger, but still won’t be an issue. But...we might have a problem... _

Aloysia and Byleth swapped places, allowing Byleth to take stock of the room. Immediately, his eyes were drawn to a massive knight on an equally massive horse. _ Yes, I would consider this a problem_.

“This will be more difficult than we anticipated,” Byleth turned back to the group, keeping his voice low. “Most of the enemies will not be a problem for you, even their leader. But between us and him is what looks to be a very powerful opponent. You are _ not _ to challenge him. Aloysia and I will handle him, while you focus on the other enemies and protect the tomb.”

Sothis scoffed. “Just let me know if you two need a reversal of time. The current flow does not look promising.”

_ Enough_, Byleth snapped.

“Also, the floor is littered with traps. Please be careful not to step on one of them. We aren’t sure what they do, so we likely aren’t equipped to deal with them,” Aloysia whispered. “You all have trained well over the past few weeks. You can do this.”

The students all nodded, and Byleth led them in. As they came into the room, the leader turned around from his place at the tomb, yelling, “Those Central Church dastards! Buy me some time! I need to break the seal on this!”

“Yes, sir!” the enemies around the room responded. 

The two men closest to the door, an archer and a mage, prepared to fire on them. With a shout, Felix ran at the mage, slicing through his chest. He sneered at the body as it dropped. “Too easy.”

On the other side, the archer had just barely begun to draw his bowstring back when a dark, swirling mist appeared around him, lit by bursts of purple light. The man had fallen before the magical circle around Hubert’s feet even faded. “You could have at least tried,” Hubert scowled, shaking his head as though admonishing a classmate.

Noticing his fallen men, the group’s leader rounded on them again, this time pointing at the knight still holding his position in the middle of the room. “Death Knight! Prove your strength and scatter these fools!”

“I don’t take commands,” the knight’s incredibly deep voice rang out. 

When he said nothing more, the group’s leader threw his hands in the air. “Just keep them occupied! Otherwise, this was all for naught.”

“Don’t worry,” Claude smirked. “It still will be.”

“You all go!” Aloysia shouted as the students fanned out to the sides. “We’ll cover you!”

The twins ran up the middle of the room toward the knight, who didn’t move an inch or seem to respond at all. Ignoring the professors, the enemy turned his head, as if passively watching the students taking on his allies. He watched as Ignatz used a curved shot to take down a healer. Ignatz yelled, “I-I did it! I did!” causing the knight to hum in apparent amusement.

_ What’s he doing? _ Aloysia asked. _ Besides nothing? _

_ I don’t know, but I won’t allow him to make his move first! _ Byleth replied. He tightened his grip on his lance and charged towards the knight, hitting him with enough strength to pierce his breastplate.

The knight looked down, seemingly unbothered, and easily ripped the lance from his armor. He snapped it in half and tossed it to the side, warning, “I do not waste my time on weaklings.”

“It seems you have vastly underestimated his strength,” Sothis commented. “You must not perish today, so leave him be and go!”

“Yes, Byleth,” Aloysia said, grabbing his arm. “We’re no use to the students dead. Let’s move!”

Byleth nodded, following his sister around the knight and onto the raised platform behind him, while he simply continued his observance of the fight. Their students were beginning to reach the front of the room, coming from both sides as the twins came up on two final enemies between them and the tomb. As one ran at them with a sword, the other sent fire at them. Aloysia threw up her hands to blast the fire back with her own, but it left Byleth open. Just as he readied himself to dodge, quickly scanning around for any weapon he could grab, a throwing axe struck the swordsman, knocking him down. Edelgard approached the man, finishing him with a quick strike before pulling her axe from his body and vowing, “No obstacle will stand.”

“He’s opened the tomb!” Aloysia yelled, rushing forward, Byleth close behind. 

The students all took defensive positions, preparing for what the man could be planning. Instead, the enemy leader yelled, “Weapons? What?! But...what are they?”

As he turned, the twins saw him holding two weapons — a lance and a shortsword.

Before he could use one to attack, Aloysia hit one of his hands, causing him to lose grip of the lance. Byleth leapt forward, grabbing it before the enemy could pick it back up. He kicked the man square in the stomach, knocking him backwards and sending the sword flying from his hand. Aloysia snatched it from the air, throwing her other sword aside and using the new weapon to defend herself right as a fireball came her way. The enemy raised his hand to begin another attack, but Byleth jumped in front of her, deflecting the fireball with a quick swing of his lance.

“W-what? There’s no way!” the enemy exclaimed.

Byleth and Aloysia glanced at the weapons, which were glowing a flickering red, giving them a rush of power. As one, they rushed forward, striking down the enemy with a synchronized blow.

The leader fell to the ground with a final breath and the room fell silent. After a moment, a deep metallic voice said, “Is that the sword? It’s broken...unfortunate.”

With that, the Death Knight vanished in a column of light, leaving the room silent once more. As the glow faded from the weapons, the students came closer, looking at them in awe and confusion.

Looking up to the twins, Claude smirked. “Well, there’s no dead body in the tomb, but I guess it’s a good thing he pulled out weapons instead of bones, right, Teaches?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo that is the Sword of the Creator. It is broken, which is why it isn’t working properly. We will be attempting to explain how it fits back together in a later chapter, but for now, feel free to look at the link we place below to try and get an idea of how it is pieced together. That will help. 
> 
> Hopefully, you enjoyed our group’s first big mystery. This chaotic bunch of characters would certainly make for a good buddy cop movie. We appreciate all of you who have commented and hope to see more as we continue! We’re still near the beginning, so this is truly a long haul. We would love to hear anything you have to say (phrased politely), but in the interest of good storytelling, we won’t be spoilering our own story. Simply be prepared for anything! 
> 
> Next chapter: More Blue Lion trauma. Also, Rhea and Seteth have a lot of feelings about an apparently broken magic sword. Sothis just has questions.
> 
> The aforementioned link can be found here: https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Sword_of_the_Creator?file=3H_Sword_of_the_Creator_concept.png


	12. Bloodlines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the lateness of our chapter. I (paradox) have been adjusting to full self isolation, and my co-author (fiery)’s job at a clinic has been beyond stressful, which makes our writing slightly more difficult. So far, we don’t foresee issues in the future with posting on a decently regular schedule, but as stated in the last chapter’s note, we will keep you all updated. Everyone stay safe and healthy!

**Part One: Alabaster Dusk**

**Bloodlines**

_ Blue Sea Moon, 1180 _

Rhea’s face was unreadable as Byleth and Aloysia stood before her in her audience chamber, presenting the two weapons they had found in the Holy Mausoleum. After a moment, she sighed, expression turning unusually downcast.

“I cannot thank you enough for your actions tonight, in defeating those who would dare invade the Holy Mausoleum, and especially for protecting what once was the Sword of the Creator,” Rhea said. “It was a Hero’s Relic and is the _ most _precious item in the church’s possession.”

Taking a deep breath, she fixed them with a serious look. “It was also a weapon of terrifying power. Pray tell, was this the condition you found the sword in?”

“We were not the ones who removed the sword from the tomb,” Byleth said. “We caught up to the enemy leader as he broke the seal on the tomb. When he turned to face us, he was holding the sword in the pieces we’ve brought to you.”

“I see. This is very unusual, indeed. Perhaps this indicates that the power the goddess bestowed upon it has faded after all of its time in disuse,” Rhea said, her brow slightly furrowed. “Can you tell me what occured when you wielded them?”

Aloysia thought for a moment. “They seemed to have a very faded red glow, and it flickered. It was like watching a wick about to extinguish.”

“Whatever power they held, it was weak,” Byleth added. “They didn’t glow for more than a few moments.”

“Then you do have the compatible Crest. However, I cannot fathom how it works without its Crest Stone, or where the stone may be,” Seteth said, hand to his mouth in thought.

“In any case,” Rhea interjected, “for now, I will entrust the weapons to the both of you.”

In an outburst unusual for him, Seteth exclaimed, “Lady Rhea! Do you truly mean to entrust the Sword of the Creator to these two? Whether or not it is in pieces, it still holds much power. It is certainly not something to hand over so readily, even if they can wield it!”

Byleth glanced at Aloysia as Rhea tried to reason with Seteth. _ Have you ever heard anything of this sword, or of Crests? _

_ I certainly have not. I have heard the students mention Crests, but nothing more. Sothis, do you have any knowledge of these things? _Aloysia asked the girl, who was absently twirling her hair.

Sothis raised an eyebrow. “Do you not think I would have told you if I remembered such a thing?” 

“Forgive our ignorance,” Byleth said, interrupting Seteth and Rhea’s conversation. “It’s clear this sword is very valuable, but...why?”

Seteth turned to the twins with an intense, angry gaze, one that made Byleth take a step back. “The history of the sword is at the center of the church’s history as well as that of Fódlan. Do you mean to tell — never mind. I will only tell you this once.”

While Seteth had been speaking, Aloysia had been slowly shifting closer to her brother, finally positioning herself so she was somewhat behind his shoulder, holding a fistful of his jacket. She tried to control the shakiness in her breath as Seteth continued. Neither twin noticed Sothis watching the situation with interest.

“The Sword of the Creator was a gift the goddess bestowed upon Nemesis. He used this sword to defeat the wicked gods who were attacking Fódlan, saving the land and earning him the title of King of Liberation. However, the power the sword allowed him began to corrupt him, turning him to the darkness. Saint Seiros herself had to strike him down when he waged war on Fódlan.”

“Considering that,” Seteth said, now whirling on the archbishop, who seemed unperturbed, “I do not understand why you are making this decision with such haste. Should we not discuss this more thoroughly?”

Rhea turned to her advisor with a stern look. “Seteth, I have faith in them. I do not believe our friends will be corrupted by wickedness. They are the only people since Nemesis who have been able to wield the...weapon. It has awakened to its new masters, and that is not for us to decide.”

“I...understand, Lady Rhea,” Seteth said, bowing his head to her quickly. Despite his words, he continued to look bothered by the situation at hand.

“Now, if that is settled,” Rhea said, folding her hands together, “please have them bring in the prisoners.”

_ Prisoners? _ Byleth glanced back at Aloysia. _ What prisoners? Every enemy in the Holy Mausoleum fell_.

As the doors opened, they watched Shamir and the three house leaders bring in four strange men dressed in robes the twins recognized as those of the church. The men were brought before Rhea in chains. The house leaders continued to stay behind them, watching for any attempt at escape, while Shamir went to join the archbishop.

When the twins looked back at Rhea, her lips were pursed, eyes glazed as if in thought. Seteth cleared his throat. “You have all committed a breach of faith. Now, the archbishop will pass judgment for your crimes.”

“Inciting a Kingdom noble to rebel, unlawful entry, the attempted assassination of the archbishop, an attack on the Holy Mausoleum...it is unnecessary to go on, followers of the Western Church,” Shamir said in disgust.

“The Western Church?” one man exclaimed. “We have nothing to do with the Western Church!”

“Spare us your lies. You have already been identified,” Seteth said, crossing his arms.

Looking down her nose at the men, Rhea said, “Dishonoring a holy ceremony is worthy of death for a member of the church. You are all well past the hope of redemption. If you have any grace remaining, you will willingly offer your life as atonement for your crimes.”

“What? No!” another man yelled. “This isn’t what we were told would happen! We’ve been deceived!”

“It’s no use arguing! Your punishment stands,” Shamir hissed at the prisoners, who were struggling against their chains. The house leaders glanced at each other with worry in their eyes. The twins weren’t sure what to think.

“Please!” one of the men cried out. “The goddess would never forgive you for this!”

Rhea bowed slightly to them with a benevolent smile, although there was malice in her eyes. “May your souls find peace as they return to the goddess. This investigation is complete. Please remove these poor, lost souls from my sight.”

More knights came in to take the struggling men away, the last one yelling, “Monster! We know you’ve already slaughtered many of our brethren this way! The goddess will —”

The doors shut on the man’s threat, ending it abruptly. Rhea looked to the twins and their students, her serene expression back on her face. “I appreciate your assistance with this matter. You are all dismissed, and may the goddess continue to guide your way.”

With that, Dimitri gave a quick bow, turning on his heel and striding quickly from the room, not looking at anyone. Aloysia made to go after the prince, but Edelgard beat her to it, all but running after him.

As they watched her disappear around a corner, Claude strolled over to the twins. “Don’t worry, Lady Teach, she’ll make sure Dimitri is fine. She’s always had a special talent of calming people.”

The three walked silently for a moment before Byleth said, “I think the students should rest for the night. We can reconvene in the morning.”

“Sir Teach!” Claude exclaimed, giving Byleth a wink. “You have the best ideas. I’ll make sure the others know. See you both bright and early!”

As he ran down the hall, Sothis sighed. “The Sword of the Creator...the King of Liberation...each tale is more confusing than the last!”

_ And these Crests everyone keeps speaking of, _ Byleth agreed. _ How have we never heard of any of these things in all our travels? _

“That is curious. And I really can’t read that Rhea at all…” Sothis looked troubled when admitting this, as if it was something she should know. “The weapons are clearly important...so why was she so keen to gift them to the two of you?”

_ It certainly is strange. Everything since arriving here has been, _Aloysia said with slight frustration.

_ I’m beginning to see why Father avoided dealing with nobles and the church. We’ve barely arrived here and things have so quickly become so confusing_, Byleth nodded.

Sothis hummed. “I feel as though we have become entangled in a mystery...and one more thing has been plaguing me. The Sword of the Creator feels different somehow from the relic that...um...Cat…”

Aloysia raised an eyebrow. _ Catherine? _

“Yes! These feel different from her Thunderbrand in one key way...as if something is missing. It is not whole. Perhaps simply because it is broken, but it feels...more than that, somehow,” Sothis said.

She let out a noise of frustration. “I despise not knowing what is going on. It is frightening, and yet, I place my trust in the two of you. Whatever comes to pass...please swear to cut a path that is your own.”

_ We always have_, Byleth replied. He paused a moment. _ An odd request, from you. Why do you ask this of us now? _

“I am unsure,” Sothis said, looking into the distance in thought. “It simply feels as though everything is building to something, and when it reaches its peak, you mustn’t let yourselves fall with those who would willingly follow the natural path.” 

* * *

The next morning found the twins sitting on a table at one end of the reception hall, the students gathered around them to discuss the happenings of the prior night. Manuela was sleeping off another hangover after celebrating the Rite harder than most. They all sat in an uncomfortable silence, waiting for the professors to speak, when Caspar finally spoke up with, “Sooooo, uh...what was this meeting for?”

Aloysia raised an eyebrow. “Impatient. Wait a bit longer and you might find out.”

“Plus, we’re still waiting on Mercie!” Annette said with a large grin.

“Also, I think Raphael is missing?” Ignatz said, looking around for his friend.

“And Ferdinand,” Dorothea added with a scowl. “It’s pretty unlike Mr. Noblest of Nobles to be late.”

“I was not late at all, Dorothea! In fact, I was early,” Ferdinand said, shoving through the main doors holding a large tray. “I simply went to help Mercedes.”

Mercedes followed behind him, with a large tray of her own. “And I’m very grateful. Now, come get breakfast, everyone! I made muffins!”

“Don’t worry!” Raphael said, setting down another tray of the muffins next to hers. “I’ve only eaten one so far.”

“And there is tea as well!” Ferdinand said, placing his own tray on the table.

Students whooped and rushed toward the table, and Lorenz mumbled, “Oh, thank the goddess. Breakfast without tea should be considered unholy.”

Once everyone had settled back down, the twins stood up. Byleth looked at the students, and when he had everyone’s attention, said, “I trust by now you all have heard what happened in the Holy Mausoleum?”

Marianne raised her hand. “B-but I also heard something a-about an execution?”

“Yes, that is true. Some of the culprits involved in last night’s attack were apprehended. As they were members of the Western Church, the archbishop sentenced them to death for their crimes,” Aloysia said, face expressionless.

“Hmmm,” Hilda hummed in thought. “But why would the Western Church try to kill Lady Rhea?”

“From the information we’ve gathered, the Western Church was always resentful of being ruled centrally from Garreg Mach. They likely sought to strip the power from the Central Church by removing its leader,” Hubert said.

“Are the Western and Central Churches different somehow?” Byleth asked, frowning in thought.

“Wow, Sir Teach,” Claude said. “Sometimes I forget just how isolated from the church you two were. It’s actually impressive that you somehow don’t know.”

Dimitri sighed. “Honestly, Claude. This is not the time for such antics.”

Claude winked at the prince, earning him another sigh, but Dimitri continued. “Anyway. The Western Church is simply another branch of the main church, which is here. There are a few branches scattered across Fódlan, which were meant to govern over the churches of the area they were in. Hubert is likely right in his assessment. It was a poor attempt to gain power.”

“But then what would have been their purpose in the Holy Mausoleum?” Aloysia asked. 

“If their purpose was to weaken the Central Church, their plan may well have been twofold. Assassinating the archbishop would certainly have crippled the Central Church’s power. But stealing, or destroying, the bones of Saint Seiros would have crushed the church’s morale. The Western Church likely sought to do one or both, and so they split their forces. I doubt they expected the Mausoleum to be as heavily guarded as it was. And yet...they would have failed regardless. There were no bones in that tomb. Just the weapons the professors found,” Edelgard said.

“What I want to know is what those weapons are. Did you learn anything more about them?” Felix asked, indicating the new weapons the twins had holstered. The twins pulled their respective halves out.

“The archbishop said they were once one weapon called the Sword of Creator,” Byleth said.

Linhardt sat up, his interest piqued. “The Sword of the Creator? That was the sword the goddess gifted Nemesis so he could defend Fódlan. It’s considered the strongest of the Heroes’ Relics. It can only be wielded by someone with the Crest of Flames, so it hasn’t been used since the War of Heroes. No one since Nemesis has had that Crest.”

“But the two of you can use it...does that mean you’re related to Nemesis?” Annette asked, looking awed.

The twins glanced at one another then back to the students. Before they could respond, Felix asked, “So how did the relic break? They are thought to be everlasting due to the goddess’ blessing on them.”

“Lady Rhea seems to think the blessing’s magic may have faded from this one, leaving it broken. It still seems to hold some of its power, but only a small fraction,” Aloysia said, peering down at her sword portion.

Lysithea peered at Aloysia’s portion. “But what happened to the Crest Stone? Surely that means it has no use at all.”

Byleth rubbed his forehead. “All this talk of Crests...can someone please explain what it all means? We’ve heard so much about Heroes’ Relics and Crests and Crest Stones since our arrival, but little explanation.”

“You’ve _ never _heard of Crests? Did you never meet anyone during your travels that possessed one?” Hilda asked, jaw open.

Aloysia shrugged. “If we did, they simply had no reason to mention it. Maybe the other mercenaries said a thing or two, but for us, it wasn’t something that mattered.”

“It makes sense, really,” Ingrid said. “You’ve mentioned how you didn’t often work with nobles, and nobility is generally determined by the Crest system.”

Byleth scowled. “Again, there has been talk of Crests, and no useful information from it.”

“Let’s see. In a quick summary, a Crest is a genetic trait passed down through bloodlines that connect families to either the Saints or the Ten Elites. They were seen as a blessing from the goddess, and each Crest grants some sort of power to the person who bears it,” Lysithea recited.

Felix nodded. “Crest users are the only ones capable of using Heroes’ Relics because of their blessings. Since the goddess blessed each relic for a specific person, the weapon remains connected to that Crest’s bloodline.”

“You forget, Felix, that any Crest bearer can wield any relic, though,” Sylvain said, head resting in his hand. “It might not be quite as powerful, but it’s still much stronger than your average weapon.”

“Anyway,” Lysithea said loudly, shutting the boys up, “the relics don’t work without a Crest Stone, which is normally a part of them. I’m not sure how powerful you will be able to make your relic without it.”

“They still glowed when the professors fought with them in the Holy Mausoleum,” Dedue said.

“Does it even need a Crest Stone?” Claude asked. “This is the strongest of all the Heroes’ Relics. Maybe, because of that, just having the Crest is enough?”

Ingrid scoffed. “There is _literally_ _a giant hole_ in the hilt of the sword. If that’s not for a Crest Stone, what would it be for?”

Claude smirked. “Well then, why don’t _ you _ explain how the weapons still work?”

“That’s enough,” Aloysia said, stern. “This isn’t a problem that needs to be solved right now, especially not today. Today is your day off, so go enjoy it.”

Before anyone had moved, the doors creaked open. Seteth strode in, Flayn close behind him as per usual. She looked happy despite the scolding her brother had given her the previous day.

“Pardon the intrusion,” Seteth said as the twins turned to look at him.

_ I’ll pardon no such thing_, Byleth scowled. 

Sothis was giggling in the background as Aloysia said, “It is no problem, Seteth. The students were just leaving to enjoy their day.”

When the students stayed where they were, the twins scowled at them, causing a brief chaos as the students all tried to hastily exit. As the dust settled, Byleth and Aloysia looked back to Seteth, whose face was as impassive as always. Flayn had begun to straighten the room while humming to herself.

“If your...breakfast meeting...is complete,” Seteth started, “I have been asked to let you know that your father is looking for you. He is at the cemetery.”

The twins glanced to each other. Aloysia frowned slightly. _ Why would he be there? _

_ He did live here in the past, as Roger mentioned. It’s possible a friend of his died? He would have known many knights, _Byleth replied.

Seteth sighed. “It seems I am not needed here any longer. Let us take our leave, Flayn.”

“Brother, would you help me with these?” Flayn asked from under the entire stack of trays and cups.

“Flayn!” Seteth cried, running to her as the stack nearly caused her to topple over. “Please be more careful. This is not your responsibility in the first place. Do not let your generosity get you injured.”

Despite scolding her, Seteth easily took the whole stack, carrying it out of the room while Flayn trotted after him protesting that she could help. Aloysia huffed a laugh and felt the warmth spread through her face as it had before. _ We shouldn’t make Dad wait. It’s been a while already. _

* * *

True to Seteth’s words, they found Jeralt in the cemetery, standing in front of a grave in the corner. He knelt down in front of it, placing a small bundle of flowers before it. As he stood, he caught sight of the twins approaching. “Ah, there you are. I wanted to ask you to join me, but I couldn’t find you. I...thought it was high time we visited your mother.”

“...I don’t follow,” Byleth said, puzzled.

“She’s right here, resting beneath this humble grave,” Jeralt said, glancing at the plot behind him.

Aloysia frowned. “Why? Alois mentioned our family being here before, and Roger and Mary clearly knew you both from your prior work here. But why is she _ here_?”

Jeralt gave a sad laugh. “I wouldn’t even know where to start. I know I’ve never spoken of her...I should have been ready for the questions...I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, just tell us!” Aloysia blurted out, feeling more worked up than normal. Byleth put a calming hand on her shoulder.

“Well...she loved flowers. I used to bring her flowers often, and whenever I brought back an unusual one, her face would light up! I cherish those memories,” Jeralt said with a small smile. “She was just as Mary described her and more. Your mother was smart, so smart, and a wonderful chef. Her smile could light up a room. I can’t count the number of times she made me happy just by seeing her smile. And she smiled the most...when she was pregnant with the two of you.”

Jeralt’s own smile turned sad. “She died when the two of you were born.”

As Aloysia’s frown deepened, he brought the twins in to a hug. “She may not have been able to spend much time with you, but I know she loved you with all her heart. If you remember nothing else, remember that.”

Minutes passed where none of them spoke before Jeralt pulled back just slightly. “I want to show the two of you something.”

“Is it something of hers?” Byleth asked.

“Something of _ ours_,” Jeralt said. He pulled a chain out from where it was hidden under his captain’s uniform, two rings dangling off of it. “These are our wedding rings. Someday, I’ll pass these on to the two of you. I hope you’ll each give them to someone you love as well as I love her.”

Aloysia ran her fingers along the ring that was once their mother’s, watching the multicolored jewels glint in the sun, before burying her face back in her father’s shoulder. Byleth twisted Jeralt’s well-worn ring around his finger, saying softly, “I wish we could have known her.”

“Me too, kid. Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ending on a melancholy note. Our bad. This chapter took a lot of directions we hadn’t initially planned. In our opinion, this section probably has more plot holes than any other portion of the game. There is information we still question no matter how deep we dig into the fanlore. For example, what did they expect to find in the tomb and what were they going to do with it? What exactly were the Western Church people told would happen? Feel free to hypothesize in the comments!
> 
> Once again, sorry for the delay. Even though this chapter didn’t have much action, hopefully you all enjoyed the character development as well as the theories the students are beginning to think of. Also, all of the characters (minus just a few) have planned pairings. We won’t be able to show the build up of these in the main story, so we are planning to make this a series with a multitude of one shots. They might be for pairings, they might be slice of life craziness in between the madness that is the major plot points. We honestly don’t know most of them. Either way, we hope you’ll read them as they come.
> 
> Next chapter: A disowned brother, a big lance, a scary monster. All that angst you remember with an additional helping of whump! These poor children.


	13. Ruinous

**Part One: Alabaster Dusk**

**Ruinous**

_ Verdant Rain Moon, 1180 _

Byleth carefully set down his borrowed copy of _ Tactics of Adrestia, Volume III_, careful not to bend so much as a page for fear of the librarian, Tomas, scolding him. He’d been reading for far longer than he’d realized, long enough to get a knot in his shoulder.

As he stretched, trying to relieve the pain in his shoulder, he glanced through the open doorway to Aloysia’s room. She was lying on the floor of her room, wearing nothing but her shorts and corset, a book she was reading resting on her chest. After turning a page, she suddenly put her feet flat on the floor and used them to pull herself to a different location while still lying down. When she did nothing else, Byleth asked, _ Aly, dare I ask what you’re doing? _

Aloysia rolled her head over to stare at him blankly. _ Well, I would prefer to be lying out beneath the trees, but Father told me that I would “appear immodest” if I wore only this around the public portions of the monastery. So, I am following the sun’s movement in here to enjoy its warmth how I can. _

_ It is plenty hot already. I don’t understand why you would purposefully seek out any more warmth_, Byleth shook his head. _ I would prefer to go without my shirt, but when I tried that yesterday, Seteth informed me I would “be a distraction to the students.” _

Aloysia groaned and placed her book on her face. _ Can we not talk about this? _

_ I tried to tell him that if the students would be distracted by me, they would certainly stand no hope of focusing on the battlefield, but _...

There was a sudden knock on Aloysia’s door, causing Sothis to mumble, “Ah, a most fortuitous interruption,” to which Aloysia agreed.

She jumped up from the floor, tossing her book onto her bed, and opened the door, forgetting to contemplate what she was wearing and who may be on the other side. 

“Apologies, Professor, but I have—” Dimitri’s words cut off as his voice cracked. He cleared his throat, face reddening all the way to his hairline. “Is this a bad time? I can return in a moment.”

“There’s no issue. We were simply reading. You aren’t interrupting anything important,” Aloysia said, face blank. “Is something the matter?”

Dimitri opened his mouth a few times before managing, “I ran into Alois a moment ago. Apparently Lady Rhea has requested the three of us meet with her.” 

Byleth walked into the room, scooping up Aloysia’s coat and throwing it at her. The gold decorative piece attached to it managed to knock her in the head, and she glared at him as he teased, _ What did Father tell you about being immodest? _

He ignored Aloysia’s glare and asked Dimitri, “Did he say what this meeting is regarding?”

“He did not say, actually. We will be going into this meeting blind, I’m afraid,” Dimitri said, turning back to Aloysia, who had now put on her boots and coat and was clasping her wrist braces on.

“We should not keep her waiting, then,” Aloysia said, nodding her head to her student in an indication to lead the way. Byleth tossed his sister her weapons as they headed out, barely grabbing his own lance before the door shut, and quickly followed the pair to the second floor.

Dimitri faltered slightly at the closed audience doors. “I admit that I am unsure of the protocol for such meetings. Do we wait to be called upon or—”

Byleth shoved open one of the doors, leading the way into the room without a word. Dimitri quickly schooled his shocked face back into his more professional, expressional one and followed him, Aloysia on her student’s tail.

“Ah, Professors, Dimitri. Thank you for arriving so quickly. The matter is somewhat urgent. We have a mission, and we wanted Dimitri present to hear about it since it involves his kingdom.”

Dimitri suddenly straightened even more. “Has something happened in Faerghus?”

“Nothing so disastrous as you may fear, but still something that must be addressed quickly,” Rhea said. “There is a group of thieves that needs to be dealt with.”

“They stole the Hero’s Relic of House Gautier — the Lance of Ruin. Their leader, Miklan, is a disowned son of the Gautier family,” Seteth stated.

“Why must the church eliminate him?” Byleth asked, while Aloysia asked, “Why was he disowned?”

“If I may,” Dimitri said, receiving nods from the church leaders, “While I do not condone it, noble families often disown or pass over any children they have lacking a Crest who should be the heir. It is truly a despicable practice. Sadly, Faerghus’ knights are not trained to go against Heroes’ Relics as the knights here are, and a singular noble family would struggle to deal with such a situation.”

“All true. We would customarily send in the Knights of Seiros since the weapon is one of such power, but we are stretched thin as of now. Most have been sent to the Western Church to purge those who were involved with the assassination plot.” Seteth folded his arms, giving a slight smile to the young prince for his informative explanation.

Rhea smiled at the twins. “For this reason, we are entrusting you with this mission. You wield the Sword of the Creator. Even in two pieces, it is more than capable of opposing another relic. However, I will be sending one of my most skilled knights, Gilbert, with you. I’m sure you will run into him after he arrives this afternoon. I sent him to retrieve another guest.”

As the three nodded, Seteth cut back in. “Remember that you hold significant power. I trust you will conduct yourselves in a manner befitting of it.”

Aloysia heard Byleth give an internal scoff and even Sothis rolled her eyes.

“Of course,” Aloysia said with a nod, before Byleth could open his mouth.

Rhea smiled at the trio again. “I am sure the mission will go just fine with the two of you leading it. Please have your students ready to depart in 24 hours. May the goddess smile upon you.”

* * *

Claude sauntered into the Black Eagles’ classroom, greeting them with, “Afternoon, Teaches, His Royal Blue, and Little Emperor!”

“I would advise showing Lady Edelgard more respect,” a deep voice said from the shadows near the door.

Claude jumped sideways with a yelp, muttering something completely unintelligible as he held a desk nearby. He recollected himself and demanded, “Man, how long have you been there?”

“Hubert! We have discussed this,” Edelgard sighed, rubbing her temples.

“This is a meeting of house leaders and professors,” Byleth said, raising an eyebrow. Impressed though he was at how long Hubert had avoided being noticed, he forced himself to keep his expression stern. “As valuable as your insight is, this is not the time for it.”

When Hubert didn’t seem inclined to move, Byleth added, “I assure you, between myself, my sister, Claude, and Dimitri, Edelgard is perfectly safe.”

Still looking reluctant, the retainer bowed before taking his leave. As soon as he left, Edelgard let out another heavy sigh. “My deepest apologies…I assure you, I have discussed this with him. Repeatedly.”

“Edelgard,” Claude said, taking a breath, “how is that something you’re used to?”

Dimitri sighed. “Really, I’m lucky Dedue isn’t just as stealthy or I would have the same issue.”

“The matters of your retainers _ aside_,” Aloysia said, quieting them, “we need to discuss the coming mission. Dimitri, if you could explain the current situation.”

Dimitri began to relay what information the archbishop had presented them with. The further along in the explanation he got, the more troubled the other house leaders looked. A sudden bang cut off Dimitri’s words, Claude’s fist having come down hard on his desk. “You mean to tell me that it’s _ common practice _ for families to simply throw away their children for not being born how they want?”

“I am not saying it’s—”

“Too many families in Fódlan treat Crests as the only thing that matter,” Edelgard’s expression was similarly dark. “They abandon or disown those born Crestless. They hold those born with Crests above all others, regardless of the person’s character. The measures noble families will take to ensure the power of Crests remains strong in their bloodline...it’s despicable.”

Dimitri shook his head as his friends glared at him. “Of course I agree that it’s wrong, but—”

“Whoa, you can’t just—”

“Enough!” Byleth snapped. The three students turned to look at him. “Whether or not this system is fair is not the point.”

“Professor, you can’t possibly—” Edelgard started.

Aloysia held up a hand to stop the girl. “What he meant was that we are not here to discuss the morality of the current system. It is not the place. We cannot change what has happened up until now, so we must discuss what it is we are assigned to do. Maybe after that, the three of you can discuss how you wish to see the system. You are future leaders, after all.”

“Any such discussion needs to be had with level heads,” Byleth added, fixing the students with a stern look. “I commend your passion, but diplomacy requires composure, or else it simply becomes pointless arguing.”

The three had just begun to relax back into their seats, looking suitably chastised, when Dimitri snapped his head around to stare at the door. “Is someone there?”

A man with shoulder-length black hair wearing a long fur-lined cloak walked into the room with a large grin. “I forgot how well you hear, Your Highness. I simply didn’t want to walk in and interrupt.”

Dimitri stood from his seat in shock. “Rodrigue! It’s been a long time. I haven’t seen you since before coming to the academy!”

“Indeed,” the man said, walking up to the prince and engulfing him in a quick hug. “And you’ve grown so much! I hardly recognize you.”

As the two separated, they heard the distinct sound of throat clearing. Claude smiled and threw the prince a wink. “Soooo, Dimitri, wanna tell us who your friend is?”

Dimitri blushed slightly at forgetting his manners, causing Claude to laugh outright. The prince composed himself quickly and set his hand on the man’s shoulder. “This is Rodrigue Fraldarius. He’s an old friend of my father’s who took me in after everything. I knew him well before, though. Some of my earliest memories involve him.”

“Fraldarius?” Edelgard echoed. “Are you Felix’s father?”

Rodrigue smiled. “Indeed I am. It’s nice to meet all of you. I certainly recognize the future leaders of the Alliance and Empire.” 

He looked to the twins. “The two of you must be the professors Felix has mentioned. He speaks highly of you both, so you must be skilled. However, perhaps we should turn our discussion to the matter at hand."

“Ah, yes,” Dimitri said, sitting back down. “What is it that brings you here, Rodrigue? Are the thieves affecting your lands as well?”

“I’m afraid so. This isn’t simply affecting House Gautier,” the noble said, taking a seat himself. “They have set up their headquarters in our territory and are mercilessly pillaging the villages. I’m here to lend our support against those dastards, and to thank you all for your help.”

“Of course,” Dimitri said with a nod. “You know I am always willing to lend a hand to those in my kingdom.”

Edelgard nodded as well. “We would never turn a blind eye to those in need.”

“And I simply never mind taking out a few people who are ruining the fun for others,” Claude said with a smirk.

Aloysia sighed and walked over to the noble, Byleth close behind. “We will make sure the issue is taken care of quickly. You have our word.”

“If these thieves have managed to steal a Hero’s Relic, they must certainly be stronger than average bandits. We had best prepare,” Byleth said. 

“No worries, I shall take my leave. Oh! Has anyone seen Felix?”

* * *

The sky was still dark when the students chosen met their professors at the stables the next morning. A few students had already begun mounting their horses when there was the sound of feet running toward them.

“Professors! Wait!”

Red hair could be seen in the torchlight faster than the student himself. Sylvain came to a skidding stop in front of the twins. He was panting, clearly having sprinted all the way. “Please, allow me to join you all for this.”

Aloysia set a hand on his shoulder with a frown. “Sylvain...I know your family is at odds, but he’s still your brother.”

The young man stared at the ground. “Miklan has always been a piece of garbage, but this is taking it too far. Like you said, he’s my brother, so I should be there. He should have to look me in the eyes when it all goes down.”

Aloysia looked to her own brother. _ I don’t think he’s going to let up. Do you think it will be okay? _

_ I don’t think anything we can say will change his mind. If this is what he feels he needs to do...we should let him_, Byleth replied. _ And from a tactical perspective...he is apparently the only one who can truly wield this relic. If it comes down to it, we may need that power. _

“You know,” Sylvain interjected with a wry smile, “you two doing that is still freaky.”

Aloysia raised an eyebrow. “That’s certainly not the way to receive our approval.”

Just as her student’s face began to fall, she patted the shoulder she’d had her hand on. “Go get ready with everyone else. We want to leave before the sun rises.”

“Thanks! You won’t regret it,” Sylvain said with a relieved smile, jogging off to a horse that Felix had already begun readying for him. 

Watching him smile and chat with his friends made Aloysia feel slightly better about their decision, and she walked around making sure the other students were quickly moving along as well. Eventually, Byleth rode up next to her and held out a hand, helping her into the saddle then making his way to the front of the group.

The sky had begun to lighten, the first hints of dawn appearing, as the group made their way out of the monastery and to the road that led to Faerghus.

* * *

The trip to Conand Tower took a few days’ time, the weather starting hot and oppressive before cooling down as they headed further north. It wasn’t until the morning of their arrival that the skies opened up and rain began to fall.

“The Faerghus weather is as finicky as always, I see,” Dimitri said, mostly to himself. He attempted to smooth his bangs back only for them to flop back onto his eyes again. The girls had all begun pulling their hair back in various ways after tying up their horses. 

“Professor, would you like some help with your hair as well?” Dorothea had come up to Aloysia holding some black ribbon. 

Aloysia did consider the idea for a moment before shaking her head. “I’ve never fought with my hair back before. Maybe we can practice with it that way one day so I can feel safe doing so in the future.”

“That’s a great idea, Professor!” Dorothea replied with a smile. “Just yell for me if you ever want your hair done. It’s a specialty of mine — even Edie lets me do her hair!”

The twins followed her gaze to where Edelgard stood, hair in two impeccable braids down her back. The girl was flanked on either side by Claude and Dimitri, her expression grim as the three looked up at Conand Tower.

As the professors walked towards the house leaders, they heard Edelgard saying, “This weather is unfavorable for combat. In even the best of conditions, Conand Tower would be difficult to seize. Miklan must be more skilled than your average thief to have taken it.”

“You certainly know your history of Faerghus well, but I suppose that it would be required knowledge for the future emperor,” a man with a long red ponytail said. He was in heavy armor, his boots sinking into the mud as he trudged up the hill they stood on. “Apologies, I should have introduced myself. I am Gilbert of the Knights of Seiros.”

The twins noticed Dimitri’s eyes widen in shock before he quickly schooled his expression. “You must be the liaison that the archbishop mentioned.”

“Yes. I thought it would be more useful to stay here and keep an eye on the thieves rather than return to the monastery for so short a period,” Gilbert said “The princess is correct, though. Conand Tower was the site of a massive battle a few hundred years ago when invasions from the north were at their peak. This tower was built for both surveillance and defense, which is what makes it so challenging to seize.”

Dimitri’s mouth twitched up a bit. “You’re very well informed, Gilbert. Please, tell us more.”

“Well, I…ah, you’re joking,” the older knight said, shaking his head with a slight smile. Aloysia filed the information away to discuss with Dimitri later. There was more he knew, she could tell.

“Impossible. His Seriousness doesn’t joke,” Claude said, dramatically slapping a hand to his chest.

“Claude, now is not the time,” Edelgard sighed. “You can have your fun at Dimitri’s expense later. This situation is not one to take lightly.”

“No, it’s not,” Byleth agreed. “Did you notice the villages we rode past? They were in terrible shape. We’ve seen plenty of villages raided by bandits...but these seemed different.” 

Edelgard nodded, an angry look on her face. “They looked like they were destroyed for nothing more than pleasure. These are clearly not your regular thieves.”

Dimitri glared, gritting his teeth. “They won’t even make it through winter in their condition.”

“It would at least be understandable if they were pillaging to survive...but this…” Claude said, shaking his head with a pained look.

“_T__his_...no matter what their reasons may be, _ this _ cannot be allowed to happen. Ever,” Dimitri snapped. 

Aloysia opened her mouth, ready to calm the leaders, when Sylvain walked up, arms tight across his chest. “Don’t lose your heads over this. It’s wasted effort.”

Dimitri looked at his friend, eyes sad. “Sylvain...I know Miklan is the leader, but he’s still your brother.”

“No,” Sylvain replied harshly. “He is no longer a member of House Gautier or my brother. He’s just a filthy thief.”

“Sylvain,” Aloysia said, once again trying to help her student. “It’s okay to feel conflicted about all of this, but don’t blame yourself for what has led him here. You have nothing to regret.”

“Regret?” the young man scoffed. “You must be joking. We’re far past regret. But it always falls on those who are younger to clean up after their elders, doesn’t it?”

No one knew what to say in response, and so with the silence, Sylvain walked off. There was a beat before Byleth turned back to the group. “We should move quickly, before the storm becomes any worse.”

* * *

The fight had been easier than expected, so far. Gilbert cut down thieves left and right, hardly giving the students opportunities to take out any themselves. It wasn’t until the group reached the top of the tower that things began to take a turn. As they reached the landing, a call could be heard from behind them, saying, “The boss is in trouble! Hurry, you fools!”

Men and women poured in from all sides, dragging everyone into an intense fight. Bernadetta was cowered behind Raphael, shooting arrow after arrow into whatever body parts she could, while Marianne stood behind her, using the cover to heal anyone in range. Dorothea, Ingrid, and Felix were slicing their way through the thieves on one side of the room, while the three house leaders cut through the enemies on the other side.

Sylvain had slowly been working his way through the thieves in the front when a man came into the light holding a lance taller than anyone in the room. The redhead grit his teeth, shoving his lance harshly through the thief in front of him and tossing him to the side. He ran forward, ignoring the cries around him to stop, eyes only on the thieves’ leader. 

“MIKLAN!” he shouted, rushing his brother. 

Miklan held up the relic quickly, blocking the blow and smiling cruelly at his younger brother. “Why have you come, you Crest-bearing fool?”

“I’m here for the Lance of Ruin, Miklan. Hand it over,” Sylvain spat, lips turning up in a sneer. “I don’t want to humiliate you, but I will.”

The two clashed lances, ducking and twisting out of the other’s way. Finally tired of their dance, Miklan shouted, “Hurry up and die already! If it hadn’t been for you—”

“Just shut up!” Sylvain yelled back. “I am _ so tired _ of hearing that. You’ve always blamed me for something that isn’t my fault!”

Using what he had learned, Sylvain twisted to the side, managing to get a swipe on Miklan’s abdomen, still not deep enough to truly harm him.

Jumping back and holding his stomach, Miklan laughed. “Not bad for a spoiled rotten brat.”

The leader pointed the stolen relic at his brother, red light glowing from it. Sylvain’s face went white. “Miklan, you can’t!”

Just as Miklan began to give him a cruel smile in response, he gasped in pain as the red light flared brighter. The fighting in the room ceased as the man screamed. Black tendrils shot from the lance’s Crest Stone, slithering over his body like snakes until entire limbs couldn’t be seen. The man continued to scream, backing up in terror as he tried to rip the wriggling forms from his hand, hoping to remove the lance. Instead, the tendrils moved faster, wrapping further and further, engulfing his form completely and drowning out his cries.

The thieves dropped their weapons, fleeing from the room as the black mass grew larger before suddenly bursting, revealing an enormous, armoured beast.

“Fall back!” Byleth yelled, he and Aloysia herding the students behind them, the latter grabbing Sylvain and pulling him back from the snarling monster. 

Now fully formed, the beast’s eyes tracked the room, saliva dripping from its jaws, until it noticed one of the thieves who was left. With a deafening roar, the monster leaned down and closed its jaws around the man, lifting him up then throwing him against a nearby wall. The resounding crack brought bricks tumbling to the floor along with the body. Bernadetta whimpered, hiding herself again behind Raphael.

“Wh-what is that thing?” Dorothea gasped, eyes wide with fear.

“I don’t know,” Felix said, wiping his face on his sleeve, “but we certainly can’t let it free.”

“So this is the fate of one whose life has been corrupted by a Crest Stone…” Edelgard murmured. “How cruel…”

“Stay close!” Byleth commanded. “If that creature is able to separate you from the group, it _ will _ kill you.”

“These beasts have a lot of magic built up around them,” Gilbert yelled over the monster’s snarls. “We will have to wear down its barriers to do any damage to it!”

“Everyone!” Aloysia yelled. “Be careful until we know what it can do. We need to watch for weaknesses!”

“All we can do now is put an end to its suffering,” Dimitri said, face determined as he held his lance at the ready.

As they moved forward, the beast stood and roared, advancing on them as well. It moved quickly, faster than they expected from a monster of its size. Aloysia and Dorothea shot fire towards it, causing it to stagger just long enough for some of the others to strike at the barrier.

Angry for his friend, Felix struck part of the barrier hard enough to watch as cracks spiderwebbed across it before that section shattered completely. 

“Archers! Mages! Hit the monster with anything you can! Everyone else, keep working on that barrier!” Byleth yelled, smashing his lance into a new area of the barrier. 

Arrows and magic went flying into the open space. The monster roared as it felt the sting of the attacks. Turning toward its assailants, the monster opened its jaw wider and released a gutteral noise. A shockwave hit those within the radius, causing them to step back to brace themselves. Despite clapping their hands over their ears, the damage had been done.

“Is everyone alright?” Edelgard yelled as the group she was with continued to assault the barrier.

“All good, Edie!” Dorothea responded. The girl raised her arm, preparing to blast another fireball at the beast, but nothing happened. “Uh...but it looks like magic is a no-go for now!”

Aloysia looked to their two archers. “Claude, Bernadetta, you two keep focusing on the monster. We will go help with the barrier.” 

Just as the three mages began to run to help the rest of the group, Claude yelled, “No can do, Lady Teach!” 

Everyone turned to see the monster rear back on its hind legs and roar at the ceiling, causing the missing barrier portion to return.

“That’ll be its reserves!” Gilbert yelled, smashing his axe into the barrier again. “That means it’s getting weaker! Keep pushing!”

The sound of roars and weapons overtook the room as the group hit at the barrier with all they had. After a few minutes, Ingrid managed to stab the barrier enough to cause spiderwebbing cracks again, but it didn’t shatter. Looking at the damage, Raphael smiled and yelled, “Time for seconds!”

When his fist smashed into the barrier, it blew apart with a loud shattering noise. Raphael let out a whoop and moved over to the next section, already working away at that while the monster staggered, trying to shake off the blow.

Aloysia looked to her brother. _ We need to get a direct hit in. _

_ It’s the only way. Taking down barriers is well and good, but if we can’t hit that thing, we will never be able to kill it_, Byleth agreed.

He let out a yell as he leveled his lance and charged at the creature, the weapon faintly glowing red as he slashed at its chest with everything he had. The creature howled and swung its head at him, the blow connecting and launching Byleth back through the group of students, raising its barrier back up in the process. Byleth hit the ground hard, struggling to stand.

“Interesting,” Sothis mused, looking at the burning mark now left on the monster. “It seems the Sword of the Creator is particularly well-suited for fighting such beasts.”

_ Not the time, _Aloysia hissed at the girl, swinging her sword harshly into the barrier with her waning strength. She turned to check on Byleth and noticed with relief that Marianne was next to him. Satisfied that he would be taken care of, she yelled to the students. “It’s really wounded now, so give it your all!”

With an enraged yell that had Aloysia’s eyes widening, Dimitri charged the barrier with his lance, shattering it with a single blow before falling to a knee, panting hard. Sylvain placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder and gave a nod. Before Aloysia could say a word, the redhead was sprinting into the opening, lance raised. 

“You’re done hurting people!” Sylvain shouted, stabbing his lance up through the monster’s neck. The creature made a wheezing noise and collapsed to the ground as Sylvain pulled his lance out. As it closed its eyes, purple smoke enveloped it completely. Sylvain stumbled back, Ingrid catching him as he nearly fell. They watched as the cloud turned into smoke tendrils that escaped into the air and dispersed. 

Gilbert walked up to where the monster had been and kneeled beside the corpse that was left. “Goddess...the beast is gone, yet Miklan and the lance remain.”

“Miklan…” Sylvain whispered, leaning heavily onto his lance. “My brother…”

Felix took his friend by the shoulders with abnormally gentle hands and turned him toward the door. Ingrid looked between the two and her professor, finally saying, “We should take the lance and head back. We can start readying the horses while you all finish here.”

As the three students began their descent, Aloysia walked over to Miklan’s body, gently pulling the lance from his grasp. She turned back to the rest of the group, where everyone was still gathering themselves. Bernadetta was standing in a corner shaking as Dorothea whispered to her, coaxing the girl to come with her. Nearby, Raphael was helping an exhausted Dimitri up, throwing the prince’s arm around himself to hold him up as they too left. In the back, Marianne was still working on healing Byleth while Edelgard was kneeling next to him, looking worried.

“Professor, are you alright?” Edelgard asked.

Byleth winced in pain as he tried to sit up straighter, thanking Marianne as she went to leave. “I will be. The ride home will not be a comfortable one, though.”

He noticed the troubled expression on Edelgard’s face and asked, “Are _ you _ alright?”

She sighed, looking back to Miklan’s body. “There’s no reason that Crests should have the power to dictate someone’s life like this. In some ways, he was just a victim of cruel fate...he was forsaken by the goddess, only for her to demand his execution.”

After a moment, she composed herself, rising to her feet and offering Byleth a hand. “My apologies. This is not the time for such thoughts. We had best join the others.”

Byleth looked over to where his sister stood by the exit with Claude, staring sadly at the lance she held. He took Edelgard’s hand and pulled himself up. “Yes, we should.”

* * *

The twins made their way into Rhea’s audience chamber with the Lance of Ruin after returning a few days later. The archbishop stood at the front, smiling serenely at the two. “Professors, you have returned. The goddess is indeed generous with her divine protection. Gilbert has already told me his report. See to it that you keep the knowledge of what transpired to yourselves.”

“How come, Lady Rhea?” Aloysia asked, brows furrowed. 

“People would lose faith in the nobles should rumors spread of one using a relic and transforming into a monster. All of Fódlan would fall into chaos. We must avoid that,” the archbishop said, folding her hands in front of her. “Please ensure the students you took understand this as well.”

Byleth gave her a nod. “Of course.”

She smiled at him, then looked away, eyes tightly shut as if in pain. “His transformation was nothing short of divine punishment from the goddess. Punishment for someone arrogant and foolish enough to use a relic even though they were unworthy and unqualified.”

“Wow,” Sothis whispered. “This goddess doesn’t sound very benevolent. Who would worship such a being they think so cruel?”

Ignoring her for the time being, Aloysia said, “So this is what everyone means when they say those without Crests cannot use the relics. It’s not that they receive no power, it is that it ultimately corrupts them, turning them into a monster of darkness.”

“Yes,” Rhea said with a nod. “It is why the Heroes’ Relics are considered so sacred. The goddess does not allow just anyone to have such power. She knows those who are corrupt, and she shows them for what they are in the end.”

Sothis frowned. “But most of the population does not have a Crest, right? Does that mean the goddess finds them all corrupt and unworthy?”

The twins frowned, which Rhea took the wrong way. “Do not worry. You are both blessed by her, and therefore do not have to worry. Now. The church will formally return the lance to House Gautier. If you would…”

The archbishop held out her hand to Aloysia for the lance. She glanced over to her brother. _ But Sylvain is of House Gautier. Should we not involve him in this? _

Byleth gave her a slight nod. _ I agree. After everything he just went through...he deserves to be here. _

Turning back to the archbishop, Byleth started with, “No...”

Before he could continue with his reason, Rhea’s expression turned dark, eyebrows sloped down harshly and lips pinched in a thin line. It felt as if the very air in the room had stilled entirely as the woman stood up straighter, hissing a quiet, “Excuse me?”

Aloysia jumped back a bit, clutching the lance to herself with wide eyes. Seeing his sister’s fear, Byleth grit his teeth and glowered at the archbishop. Their staring was interrupted by the chamber doors opening, revealing Sylvain.

The student cleared his throat slightly. “...excuse me.” He walked up next to Aloysia and presented himself confidently to the archbishop, whose face melted back into a neutral expression. “Lady Rhea, I am overjoyed and beyond grateful to you for recovering the relic of my family. Now, may I please have that lance? I have received direct approval from my father to take possession of it.”

Sylvain bowed to her and she looked him once-over. “As the next head of House Gautier, you must swear that you will never cause such a deplorable incident to transpire.”

“On my family’s name,” Sylvain started, face then turning sorrowful. “And on my brother’s life, I swear.”

Rhea gave a sigh, masking it as a deep breath by smiling at the boy. “Very well. However, do not allow any other to wield it. Your brother clearly demonstrated what fate awaits those who break that restriction.”

Sylvain’s face crumpled, and Aloysia bristled, setting a hand on his shoulder. “Yes. I will not soon forget…”

Rhea stared at Sylvain for a moment then gave a nod. He relaxed, and Aloysia handed the lance to him with a smile. The archbishop’s benevolent smile returned at the exchange, clearly not wanting Sylvain to know of the exchange he interrupted. She turned back to the twins. 

“From what Gilbert has told me, it is clear the two of you have become more confident wielding the parts of the Sword of the Creator. It will aid you in the coming months when…”

The doors to the chamber slammed open suddenly, shocking everyone. An unusually frazzled Seteth ran to Rhea’s side, chest heaving. “Rhe — Archbishop!”

Rhea placed a gentle hand on her advisor’s arm. “Seteth, what troubles you?”

“Flayn is missing!” Seteth exclaimed. “I cannot find her anywhere!”

He whipped around to look at the twins. “Professors, have you seen Flayn recently?”

“I have not,” Byleth shook his head.

Aloysia bit her lip in thought. “Have you looked everywhere?”

“I have looked in every corner I can think of! I could not find her anywhere!” Seteth cried. “Where could she be?”

His hand flew to his mouth as he started mumbling, “She may be in danger...no, no!...what am I to do?”

Rhea gripped his arm tight so he would look at her. “Calm yourself, Seteth. We can figure this all out.”

Byleth and Aloysia exchanged looks. Byleth looked to a man who he knew was also just a worried older brother. “We will have the students look for her. They may think of places that we do not.”

“I’ll talk to our father about borrowing some knights as well,” Aloysia said, a fear she didn’t know the origin of gripping her chest. “Do not worry. We will find her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flayn is missing! Poor Seteth has all the angst coming up. There was lots of angst in this chapter too. We’d say we’re sorry, but we’re not. Hopefully you enjoyed it anyway! We are hoping to add in some fluff soon, no worries.  
We would like to make a clarification regarding what we said in the last chapter’s end note. There will be a few main pairings shown fairly prominently, but most of the rest will unfortunately be background. We’re not certain if we’ll be able to show who all the couples are (hopefully we can in the epilogue) but we’re planning those offshoots to give the relationships more “screen time,” especially if we’re not able to mention them in the main story.  
Thanks for reading! We always appreciate your comments!


	14. Labyrinthine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We continue to hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during the global pandemic. And remember that health is mental too. Don’t allow yourselves to take on too many tasks when you may just need a break. We hope our story is helping you during this time!

**Part One: Alabaster Dusk**

**Labyrinthine**

_ Horsebow Moon, 1180_

The last few students ran up to the meeting point at the doors to the entrance hall, gasping for breath. “We took the wyverns and pegasi, Professors, and still saw no sign of her,” Sylvain panted, hands on his knees. 

“There were no ground sightings of her either,” Hubert reported from his place next to Edelgard. Everyone in the group shared worried looks, unsure of what to do. No one had found any information about Flayn’s whereabouts, and she had been missing for almost a day. 

Aloysia pushed some of her hair out of her face, tapping her foot nervously. Byleth set a hand on her shoulder. _ Are you alright? _

_ I’ll be better when we have something to go on. I simply worry about what may have happened, _Aloysia responded with a sigh. She noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see their father coming up to them looking disheartened. 

“Well, the news is both good and bad,” Jeralt said to the group. “No one in the village saw anyone suspicious about nor any sign of Flayn. The good news is, that means she must be close, hopefully still within the monastery grounds. The bad news is that you all look like you didn’t find anything, so we have no other leads.”

“What if it’s the guy from the rumors?” Hilda asked. Everyone gave her questioning looks, to which she huffed and threw her hands in the air. “Do you all hear nothing?”

“You mean the reaper everyone’s been talking about?” Dorothea asked, her eyes wide. “I was hoping it was just hearsay…”

“A r-reaper? Like a physical o-omen of death?” Ashe stuttered out.

“Preposterous!” Ferdinand waved them off. “Nothing like that exists outside of fairy tales and legends.”

Hilda shook her head. “Not true! That’s what I was trying to say! We saw a man just like that in the Holy Mausoleum! Doesn’t anyone remember? He snapped the professor’s lance like a twig!”

“Moving on,” Byleth said quickly, wincing at the memory. Jeralt snorted.

“She has a point, Professor,” Edelgard said. “Didn’t the enemy leader say he was called the Death Knight? His appearance was rather frightening, and he wielded a scythe. I can see why he may be mistaken for a reaper.”

“You’re right,” Ignatz said, nodding. “He had the black armor with the horns? Wasn’t his helmet like a skull?”

“What? I missed something like that?!” Caspar exclaimed. “Man, I wish I could’ve fought him. It would’ve been so cool...”

“There wasn’t any fighting,” Linhardt drawled. “There was the one attempt. Then he ignored us. It was anticlimactic, really.”

“Any more climactic and Sir Teach would’ve wound up dead,” Claude murmured. Dimitri scowled at his friend next to him and Lysithea shook her head, punching him in the arm.

“Well, this at least sounds like something to go on. I’ll give the knights the Death Knight’s description. Keep your eyes and ears open for anything new,” Jeralt said, looking at all of the students before him. “If he attacked you in the Holy Mausoleum, he already knows his way around the monastery. It’s very possible he could have kidnapped Flayn.”

The students nodded to him, and he patted Aloysia on the shoulder before setting a hand on Byleth’s head, saying, “The cost of any more broken lances is on you at this point. Maybe try to be careful if you see him again.”

When he was out of sight, a few of the students snickered, shutting up when Byleth turned his glare on them. “If no one has any more information to share, I suggest you continue looking for it.”

“We have already failed to keep the fair maiden safe once, so we should do our best to save her now,” Lorenz said, strutting away. Claude followed after him, mimicking his walk to the rest of their house’s amusement.

“Of course, Professor,” Edelgard nodded. “Now that we have a promising lead, we can better focus our search.”

Once the students dispersed, Aloysia leaned against a nearby column. _ I just hope she is still alright when we reach her. _

Sothis hummed. “She may have been young, but she also seemed tough. I do agree that I hope for her safe return. I found myself liking her.”

_ We’re doing everything in our power to find her. All we can do is continue to search_, Byleth said. _ I have faith we can find her in time. I... _ we _ won’t let Seteth lose his sister. _

* * *

Byleth and Aloysia walked out of the dining hall together as dawn broke the next morning, having grabbed a muffin each to take with them while they continued their search. The monastery was still quiet, hardly anyone awake. 

Had their students had their way, they would still be up and searching for Flayn, but the twins had ordered them to bed as the sky had begun to lighten. Some had outright refused their instructions, until Byleth had reminded them that exhaustion would be a detriment to both the investigation and any fight that may arise. At that, they had all begrudgingly acquiesced.

For their part, Byleth and Aloysia had allowed themselves an hour of sleep each, before rising with the sun to continue their search.

The morning was blessedly cool compared to the heat of the previous afternoon, and despite their daunting task, the twins took a brief moment to appreciate the weather. As they came upon the market, just setting up for the morning, Aloysia elbowed her brother. 

_ Does something appear strange to you? _she asked, pointing to the door to the entrance hall. A man stood by it that neither recognized. 

Byleth shrugged. _ I’m sure there is a rotation of guards. This must be the night watch. _

Aloysia frowned. Something felt off about the situation, but she couldn’t place a finger on it. Reluctantly, she followed her brother up toward the stables, silently munching on her breakfast. Byleth stopped to check on Cherry quickly and Aloysia allowed him the few minutes, choosing to lean up against the outside of the building. She scanned her eyes around, looking for anything out of place, when she suddenly heard the sound of someone in heavy armor running their way. 

She turned quickly, hand on the hilt of her sword, before realizing it was the gatekeeper they knew. The man appeared distressed and was practically wheezing as he ran up to her. “Professor...here you are! Is your brother...here? I’ve been...looking for you...both.”

The man doubled over, hands holding his knees as he took in a few deep breaths. Byleth poked his head out of the stall, noticing the disheveled state of the knight before Alyosia. He quickly opened the stall door and hurried over to them, demanding, “What’s wrong? Have you found something?”

“I was on my way to my post,” the gatekeeper started, before stopping again to take another breath. “I-I saw the reaper! The one everyone’s been talking about! He was headed towards that gate, where the professors’ quarters are! I was looking for help when I saw you.”

“Is that where he could be holding the girl?” Sothis asked, shooting up in her seat.

Byleth was about to respond when another shout of “Professors!” had the three turning their heads. A slightly rumpled Lysithea was running up to them, Mercedes close behind her looking as put-together as always. 

“What’s wrong?” Aloysia asked, trading a concerned look with Byleth.

Lysithea blushed a little, looking at the ground. “I know you told us to sleep, but when I tried and couldn’t, I decided I would head to the library to read. But as I was on my way, Professor Manuela shot out of her office. I called her name, but it was as if she didn’t hear me. I tried to follow her to see what was wrong, but I can’t find her anywhere.”

“Lysithea asked a few of us to help look. We tried to go to your rooms but when you didn’t answer, Dedue heard us. He’s gone to find more help, but we haven’t seen the professor yet,” Mercedes said, rubbing a calming hand through the younger girl’s hair.

Byleth again shared a worried look with Aloysia. _ Another person missing...and this so-called reaper reappearing? This is...troubling, to say the least. I only hope Dedue manages to find a substantial amount of help. _

Aloysia nodded, looking over the two girls. “If you two wouldn’t mind, I’m going to send you with the gatekeeper here to find any weapons and armor you need from the Knights’ Hall. Begin gathering extra. We’ll send the others your way as they arrive. We should be prepared for anything.”

“It would be my honor to help!” the gatekeeper said, rushing off with the two students. 

Aloysia turned to her brother. _ I’m going to scout the area just past the fence to see if I can tell what we’re heading into. _

Almost as soon as she left, Caspar ran up, looking dressed minus his typical cravat, pulling along a half-asleep Linhardt behind him. The green-haired student looked as if he slept in his uniform, which Byleth knew was wholly possible.

“Professors! I heard there was something going on?” Caspar exclaimed.

Linhardt sighed. “He didn’t tell me anything. I don’t know why I am awake, to be perfectly honest.”

“I don’t know what’s going on, either, but we’re here to help!” Caspar said.

“We’re still assessing the situation,” Byleth said. “Go to the Knights’ Hall and get armor and weapons. We need to be prepared for whatever may come to pass.”

Caspar grinned. “Nothing gets your blood pumping like a good fight first thing in the morning!”

Linhardt sighed once again as his friend pulled him down the path. Byleth began to look for Aloysia before hearing more footsteps. He turned back to see Dimitri with Dedue, Sylvain close behind them. Dimitri wore a determined expression. “Dedue said there might be trouble, this time with Professor Manuela. How can we help?”

“Professor!” Edelgard exclaimed, running up to stand beside Dimitri. Hubert came to a stop just behind her, holding her jacket in hand. “Dimitri said we were needed. What’s going on?”

“Sorry we’re late!” Claude yelled, running up with Hilda and Lorenz. Edelgard nodded in greeting, quickly tying her tousled hair back. “These two were trying too hard to look nice for what sounded like a possible emergency.”

“Well, it is better than looking the way you do currently,” Lorenz snipped, eyeing Claude in his bright yellow shirt and black pants, his coat and cape missing entirely, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world. 

Aloysia ran up to the group then. “Oh, good. I see we have plenty of help now.”

“What did you find?” Byleth asked.

“The path leading down to some of the professors’ quarters seems clear. I neither heard nor saw anything indicating danger. It still feels off, though,” Aloysia stated. 

“I agree,” Sothis told the twins. “Something about it felt almost too quiet. Everything felt still.”

“What is our course of action, Professor?” Edelgard asked, shrugging on the jacket Hubert had handed her. He pinned on her cape as she did up the clasps.

“We need to be prepared, especially given that we have almost no information. Follow the others to the Knights’ Hall and equip yourselves. Have everyone meet us on the other side of the gate,” Byleth instructed.

The eight students jogged off. The twins briefly heard a faint conversation of, “Lorenz, if you’re going to complain about my appearance, you could have helped me like Hubert helped Edelgard.”

“I do not hold the same respect for you that he does her. Ask Hilda next time.”

“I’m not helping him at all the next time he wakes me up!”

“Ouch. You both wound me.”

Byleth watched them go, shaking his head. _ It will be us and a group of overtired students against an enemy we know nothing of. I...am worried. _

“Hopefully they can pull it together in time,” Sothis muttered, slumping back into her throne. The twins sighed.

* * *

The group quickly gathered in the small courtyard just outside the professors’ quarters. Byleth looked around at the group and said in a quiet but firm voice, “We have no idea what we might find. Going into a situation like this blind is less than ideal, and frankly, dangerous, but…”

A scream pierced the air, interrupting what Byleth was about to say. Lysithea turned in the direction it came from, yelling, “Was that Professor Manuela?”

As the girl began to run towards the sound, the twins sprinted past her, Aloysia putting out an arm to hold her back while Byleth yanked open the door to Professor Jeritza’s room. Claude came running up as well, running past Lysithea and Aloysia into the room. He immediately recoiled, exclaiming, “Wh—? Professor?!”

The other students all shoved their way into the small room. Hilda pushed her way through to get up by Claude and gasped upon seeing her teacher. “Is...is she dead?”

Mercedes knelt down next to the woman, checking for her pulse. “She’s alive, but this wound is serious. I think she’s been stabbed.”

“Not to distract everyone from her condition, but is she...pointing at something?” Linhardt asked, squinting across the room.

Claude made his way over to a bookshelf and peered around the edge of it. After a moment, he hummed before shoving the bookshelf to the side. “Looks like we have an incredibly suspicious secret passageway back here.”

There was a flash of white light in the middle of the room before Mercedes said, “I’ve done what I can. She’s stable for now, but the professor is going to need a much more skilled healer than myself if she’s going to stay that way.”

“I’ll take her to the infirmary,” Edelgard said without hesitation.

Dimitri and Claude gave the princess bewildered looks, the two simultaneously arguing, “It would be easier if I—” and “Hey, wait, she’s my—”

The arguing ceased as a voice bellowed from the doorway, “What is the meaning of all of this?”

The students froze, startled, before quickly moving aside to let Hanneman through. He ran to Mercedes’ side, exclaiming, “Manuela? What happened here?”

“We have no idea!” Lysithea blurted out. “We heard her scream and ran in here and found her like this!”

“She needs to get to the infirmary,” Mercedes insisted again.

“Yes, and quickly,” Hanneman agreed. “Someone give me a hand.”

“Edelgard, you volunteered — go help him,” Byleth decided. Edelgard nodded, kneeling by Manuela’s side and helping Hanneman carry the unconscious professor towards the infirmary.

Aloysia turned to the other two heads of house. “Claude, I need you to go wake our father. Tell him what happened and to bring reinforcements. Dimitri, fetch Seteth and the archbishop. We think we’ve found where Flayn may have been taken. Hurry, please.”

The two nodded, quickly leaving the room and running toward their goals. The twins turned back to the rest of the students, giving each other a glance before Byleth said, “As for the rest of you...we need to see where this passageway goes. It may take us to Flayn. We don’t know what’s down there, besides possibly that Death Knight. We need to be ready for anything.”

Aloysia led the way, lighting a fire in her hand to illuminate the tunnel. The students filed behind her, carefully making their way through the cramped passage. From his position at the back of the group, Byleth asked, _ Can you see anything yet? _

_ Nothing, _ Aloysia replied. _ This tunnel is longer than anticipated. I’m truly unsure how much further we have or where we will even end up. _

Sothis hummed. “And how strange too. How long must this have taken to create? Was it all for this purpose?”

_ You may be right, but we don’t have time to think about that right now_, Byleth said. _ This situation is...deeply unsettling. _

There were a few more minutes of near silent descent, only broken by the muffled curses of tired students tripping on rocks and tree roots, before Aloysia finally saw the passageway open up. She stopped when they reached the opening, peering around the edges of it but seeing no one in the immediate area. Quickly, everyone filed out into the room, assessing where they were.

“While I am glad to be out of that tunnel, this does not seem to be much of an improvement,” Lorenz said, scanning the barren room.

“Professor,” Dedue mumbled to Aloysia, pointing at the far side of the room. “Does that appear to be a hallway to you?”

“You’re right,” Aloysia said, relaying the information to the others. “We should follow that. Hopefully it will lead us in at least the correct direction.”

“There isn’t much option otherwise,” Linhardt said under his breath as he followed the group, at which Caspar laughed. 

“Cheer up, Linhardt! Today’s the day I will face that Death Knight jerk!” the young noble exclaimed. “I’m not missing out this time!”

Hilda sighed as they reached the hallway, looking down a staircase that led them further underground. “For the last time, there was nothing you missed! Have you somehow not heard the part where Professor Byleth stabbed him and he didn’t even move? You facing him would surely make him laugh!”

“Facing me would indeed be asking for your death,” a deep, metallic voice said from the shadows of the passage.

Hilda shrieked, jumping behind Caspar, both of them with their axes at the ready. Byleth’s eyes widened. _ That voice...! _

“You had to say something, Caspar,” Linhardt said with a sigh. “I hope you’re happy. No one else is.”

Before Caspar could respond, Aloysia glared at the knight. “What have you done with Flayn?”

The man chuckled, the sound sending chills down everyone’s spines. “You want the girl back? Prove your strength. Let us see if you are capable of taking her from me.”

As quickly as he appeared, the knight vanished. “After him!” Aloysia shouted, rushing down the stairs with everyone in tow.

“Wait!” Byleth exclaimed, taking the stairs two at a time as he ran after them. “We can’t charge into this without thinking! You know how powerful he is!”

“But last time he wasn’t facing all of—” Aloysia froze at the bottom, everyone stopping equally as fast around her. In front of them was a wall stretching all the way to the ceiling.

A deep laugh echoed through the chamber they were now in. “Well? Come and find me.”

“Professors!” Sylvain yelled, looking through a grate in the wall. “I’ve found Flayn!”

The twins rushed over, peering through the grate as well. The students gathered around them, trying to see around them. “That’s definitely Flayn, but who’s that other girl?” Hilda asked.

“She...looks familiar,” Linhardt said, looking puzzled. “I’m not certain why.”

“I hope the knights arrive quickly,” Aloysia said, tensing up when the door to the room beyond the grate opened, the Death Knight riding in on his horse.

The man looked at the group through the grate and laughed. “You will have to try a bit harder to reach me. That is, if you truly want to save them.”

Aloysia grit her teeth. “We must make our way through carefully but quickly. Not that the knight ever does anything you expect.”

Byleth glanced around. “This chamber is like a labyrinth. Be careful — we don’t know what may be hiding around every corner.”

As they went toward the opening of the chamber, Byleth vaguely heard Linhardt mumble, “This tile...what would cause it to glow in such a way?”

Byleth turned around just in time to see the boy trace it with his hand. “Linhardt! Wait, it could—!”

Linhardt let out a yelp of surprise as the magic glowed brighter, before he vanished in a column of purple light. Caspar yelled, “Linhardt!” and ran towards the mysterious tile as well.

“Wait, Caspar—!” Byleth reached out a hand to grab the boy, but Caspar dodged his grip and kept charging forward. As soon as he stepped on the tile, he vanished as well.

“Do you think they’re okay?” Mercedes asked, checking the ground around the spell circle.

“Mercedes, please be careful,” Byleth urged.

Suddenly, Lysithea shrieked. “Why is that brick moving?”

Only a moment after she asked, the brick fell to the floor in front of them. All Lysithea could see through the new hole in the wall was a pair of ocean blue eyes. “Apparently that tile is capable of teleportation. Don’t worry, though. We are both fine.”

The sound of an axe hitting armor could be heard behind Linhardt. Aloysia frowned. “What was that?”

“Some idiot in red with an axe was over here already. Naturally, Caspar started fighting him immediately.” The pair of eyes rolled.

“And winning!” a voice from the distance yelled. The eyes shut with a sigh.

“Be careful,” Byleth instructed. “Although...these tiles may prove useful in getting us to Flayn more quickly.”

He paused. “Perhaps someone else should go with them. We may move faster if we split into smaller groups, but we don’t want them to be _ too _ small.”

Byleth looked to the rest of the students, all of whom stayed silent, quickly avoiding his gaze. Aloysia huffed. “Hilda, go with them.”

“Me?!” Hilda asked in bewilderment. At Aloysia’s raised brow, the girl sighed. “Fine. But it’s not like I’ll be any help.”

The girl trudged into the circle, her axe dragging the floor, and vanished with only a brief yelp. Byleth turned back to the others. “We need to get moving.”

“I, for one, am glad to move any direction away from that,” Lysithea grumbled, heading once more towards the nearby chamber. “She’s going to be hellish to be around after this.”

“You are fortunate that she at least likes you,” Lorenz said. “It’s not as though she will take out her wrath on _ you. _”

Byleth, leading the way, stepped into a chamber that opened up from the passage they were in. He looked around before snapping at the two students, “Quiet. We can’t afford to be unfocused. It’s empty here — it makes me uneasy.”

Aloysia hummed. “It wouldn’t be this easy.”

“Perhaps he has traps lying around?” Hubert suggested, looking critically at each tile and column.

“He could just be hoping to lure us further in. What should we do, Professors?” Sylvain asked, lance at the ready.

“We push forward,” Aloysia said firmly. “But we stay together and we stay alert.”

“Watch for anything that seems out of place,” Byleth nodded. He paused before adding, “And do _ not _ touch anything you don’t recognize!”

“I believe _ this _ group has a bit more sense than that,” Hubert scoffed.

_ Your students are still so interesting to me, _Aloysia said, unsure of how to respond to Hubert’s comment. She crept around the edge of the room, glancing around for anything unusual.

_ They’re...not the most cohesive group_, Byleth admitted. _ But they mean well, and they’re good people. _

“I am glad the two of you are happy with your students,” Sothis said, “but maybe focus on the girl currently missing?”

_ Yes, yes. We are capable of talking while in battle. Don’t worry so much_, Byleth waved her off.

Aloysia peered into the next room before turning to the rest of the group. “There’s a number of enemies ahead. Looks like possibly a good amount of their forces. Be ready.”

Byleth took the lead, brandishing his lance, with Dedue at his right, gauntlets tight around his fists. The first few enemies saw them, charging forward with axes held high. Byleth swung his lance underneath the first’s downswing, taking him out quickly, while Dedue engaged in a back and forth with the other man. After a skillful dodge, Dedue landed a hit on the man’s face, causing a loud crunch before the body dropped lifelessly to the ground. Just as the rest of the group prepared to charge into the room, an arrow pinged off the brick next to Lorenz.

The young noble whipped around. “Professors! More enemies! They managed to surround us!”

_ I knew it_, Byleth said, looking over his shoulder. _ There’s a lot of them, but we can’t afford to waste much time. _

_We’ll split up again_, Aloysia said. She turned to the students. “Hubert, Lysithea. We need you to come with myself and Byleth. Everyone else, hold them off! We have to keep moving!”

“Of course, Professor! We’ll keep you covered!” Mercedes said, throwing a fireball at the archer aiming for them once more. 

Watching Dedue and Sylvain run into the room behind them, Mercedes and Lorenz not far behind, Aloysia straightened. “Let’s move.”

* * *

Caspar ran around the corner. “You picked the wrong day to — shit!”

An arrow pierced Caspar’s shoulder plate, causing him to stagger back. He yanked the arrow out, blood shining on the head. “You’ll pay for that!”

A blur of pink rushed by him, and he heard a yell of “You’re making me work!” before an axe sliced through the archer’s abdomen, spraying Hilda with blood.

“Gross! It’s going to take so long to get this out of my hair!” she whined, stomping her foot. Caspar stared at her, not even noticing Linhardt come up next to him to heal his shoulder.

After a moment, Linhardt scoffed. “You should pick your jaw up from the floor so we can move on.”

Finally taking a breath, Caspar said, “That was...SO COOL!”

“Cool? More like tiring! You’re going to owe me big time for that!” Hilda said with her winning smile.

“Hey, that doesn’t sound so bad,” Caspar shrugged. He paused. “Oh, right. We need to keep moving.”

The group continued down a few more hallways before entering a large room. Against the far wall was a large mechanism, a number of gears and levers protruding from it.

Hilda made a noise of complaint. “What is _ that _ thing?”

“A puzzle to solve,” Linhardt said. “So we best begin.”

* * *

While their students held off the reinforcements that had ambushed them, the twins pushed far into the labyrinthine chamber. Between Byleth and Aloysia’s broken relic and the two students’ magic, they were cutting down their enemies with ease. The room they had made it to had two corridors running down it, separating into several smaller rooms. At the end of it all, they could see the edge of a large, wooden door. 

“That’s the door we need!” Aloysia yelled. But before she could take another step, enemies swarmed in from the corridors, flanking them to cut off their exit. Hubert and Lysithea pulled out their close combat weapons warily, determined to keep fighting.

“This is going to be tiresome,” Hubert scowled, readying his lance.

Byleth grunted as he dodged quickly away from an enemy’s lance. “We’ll make a path. Try to keep pushing ahead! We need to get to Flayn!”

Aloysia swung a wide arc with her sword, its red glow causing the enemies to back up in fear. The brief opening gave Hubert just enough space to duck out from the group. Seeing him take the out, Lysithea yelled, “You imbecile! Wait until someone can help you!”

Ignoring her calls, he ran down the nearest corridor, through the empty room and down another passage. Between him and the door stood three enemies: two mages and a mounted knight.

The dark mage sneered at him. “Are you the only one we have to face? This will be too easy.”

Hubert scoffed and shook his head. “I should have expected such inane thoughts from those who thought it wise to kidnap Flayn.”

He raised his hands, a deep purple magic circle lighting at his feet. The enemy mage took a defensive stance, but it was futile. A black pool manifested on the ground around the three before orbs of purple light emerged, swirling around them before striking through them. As the spell faded, the three men collapsed to the floor.

Hubert ran up to the door, carefully pulling on the handle to find that it was, predictably, locked. He huffed in frustration. “There’s no keyhole...how are we to open this damned thing?”

“We’re working on it!” Caspar could be heard through a nearby wall.

“We do not have time for games, Caspar!” Hubert snapped back. “Hurry it up!”

Caspar laughed. “No worries, Hubert! Linhardt is on it!”

“Caspar!” Hilda’s high-pitched voice rang out. “You’re supposed to be pulling those levers!”

Hubert pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh when he suddenly heard a click. He looked up to see the door in front of him slightly ajar. With a smirk, he pushed it open and walked into the room.

“So,” the metallic voice rang out, “who has come to face their death today?”

Hubert crossed his arms, shaking his head with a scowl. “You should withdraw from here.”

The Death Knight laughed. “I do not know who you presume to be, but I do not take orders from you.”

The knight raised his scythe, preparing to swing at the student he faced. Hubert’s eyes widened, body freezing. He regained his composure only a moment later, but he knew by then it was too late to avoid the blow.

* * *

Lysithea had finally made it out of the group of enemies and ran through the corridors. Ahead, she noticed the wooden door was open, wide enough for her to see the figures of Hubert and the enormous knight within. As she came near its entrance, she watched two gates open up on either side of her. Linhardt, Caspar and Hilda came out of the one on her left, seeming confused. 

“Well, that was an unexpected benefit,” Linhardt mused, looking at his surroundings. It took him a moment to notice Lysithea. “Where is everyone?”

She made a shushing motion and pointed through the door to where Hubert was facing the Death Knight. The mage had his arms crossed, but she could tell no more with his back turned. What she did hear was a deep laugh and some words before the knight was suddenly raising his scythe. Knowing Hubert couldn’t prepare a spell in time, Lysithea sprinted forward, raising her arms. “You won’t be harming any more students today!”

Her magic circle formed at her feet only milliseconds before there were large purple spikes above the Death Knight’s head. In a quick motion, she brought her arm down, raining the spell onto the man, who yelled in pain. A moment later, the purple exploded around him, and the students all shielded their eyes.

As the smoke cleared, they could see the knight bent over his horse, panting for breath. He had begun to ready himself again when a figure appeared in the corner of the room in a burst of magic.

“Halt,” they said, voice similarly metallic. “You’re having a bit too much fun.”

The knight huffed and looked over his shoulder at the new figure. “You are getting in the way of my game.”

Linhardt’s eyebrows raised, seeing a flash of light green just behind the hooves of the knight’s horse. He started to move but stopped himself, knowing that running into the situation would only worsen things.

The new figure let out a noise of disdain before saying, “You’ll have more opportunities to play soon. Your work here is done.”

“Understood,” the Death Knight replied, sounding displeased. He looked at the students for a moment before turning back to the figure. With a nod, he vanished into a column of light. 

Byleth and Aloysia ran up as the Death Knight vanished, jumping between their students and the mysterious figure. The figure didn’t seem to react to their glares, instead locking eyes with Byleth. “I am the Flame Emperor. It is I who will reforge the world. I am certain our paths will cross again.”

With another flash, the figure vanished. The twins were still looking around the room for any remaining enemies or traps when Linhardt rushed past them. He knelt beside the two girls, checking their pulses. “Flayn has obtained some minor injuries. Both are pale, and their pulses are slow, but I think they will live.”

As white light poured from his hands, Caspar banged his axe on the ground, letting out a frustrated noise. “I can’t believe I missed the chance to fight that Death Knight guy _ again!_”

“You couldn’t even get that one archer by yourself!” Hilda snapped. “How do you think you’d possibly beat him?”

As the two began to argue, Hubert walked up to Lysithea and gave her a small bow. “You have my gratitude.”

“You’re welcome,” Lysithea said, face then turning stern. “But if you would have been prepared for the fight, no assistance would have been needed in the first place. Dropping your guard as you did was foolish and naïve. Someone whose job it is to protect the future emperor should know better.”

Without another word, she turned and walked away. Lorenz walked up next to Hubert, who was still staring after her. “So sorry you had to deal with _ her _ wrath. That’s not even the worst I have heard her say, so perhaps you are lucky.”

“She was certainly correct,” Hubert said, all but ignoring Lorenz’s thinly-veiled complaint. “It was indeed foolish to put myself in a position such as that. Well...given that my mistake did not endanger Lady Edelgard’s life, it is no matter.”

A sudden clamour of footsteps was the only thing that warned the group before the other four students ran in, gasping for breath. Mercedes noticed Linhardt working on healing Flayn and ran over to join him. “How are they doing? Can I help?”

“I think they are both stable now, but we will need to carry them up.”

Dedue stepped forward. “I can take Flayn.”

Receiving a nod from the two healers, Dedue scooped up the green-haired girl, making sure she was secure. Byleth came up beside him to offer help with the other girl they found, picking her up similarly to carry out.

Using the newly opened passageways, the group hurried back through the chamber, rushing up the stairs into the small antechamber. They were nearly to the passageway when Hubert shot an arm out to stop them. “I hear footsteps. It could be enemy reinforcements.”

Aloysia hurried to the front of the group, readying her sword as the footsteps grew louder. Lysithea came up next to her, holding her hands up to prepare a spell, a circle lighting at her feet. There were a few more tense seconds before a figure burst into the room.

“Sorry we took so long,” Jeralt said, knights pouring out of the passageway behind him. “It took a bit to gather everyone.”

He looked at the group for a moment before his brow furrowed. “Aloysia?”

Aloysia shook her head, snapping out of the battle haze she’d been in, and lowered her weapon. The students surrounding her followed suit, some even relaxing at the sight of the knights coming to their aid. Before more could be said, another figure burst in.

“I tried to come back earlier to help, but your father said I couldn’t return on my own!” Claude said, seeming a bit flustered. “In good news, I see you all seem to be in one piece...and somehow there’s an extra person?”

Byleth looked down at the girl in his arms. “Right. We need to get these two to the infirmary.”

“Clear the way!” Jeralt shouted up the passage. Footsteps could be heard retreating, and Byleth and Dedue ran up through the earthen tunnel. Jeralt turned to his daughter, trying to ask what had happened, but she quickly grabbed his arm. 

“No time! Let’s go!” 

Jeralt huffed out a breath, following his children back through the passage. By the time he and Aloysia reached the room, they only caught a glimpse of Byleth’s coat as he ran outside. From the courtyard, there was a cry of, “Flayn!”

The rest of the group made their way into the courtyard where Dedue was gently handing off Flayn to her brother. Seteth dropped his head into her hair and sighed, saying hushed words the others couldn’t hear. He looked up at the group and managed, “Thank you,” before rushing towards the infirmary with Flayn.

Seteth had just disappeared around the corner when Dimitri ran into the courtyard, Rhea close behind him.

“Was that Flayn that Seteth was holding?” Dimitri asked, glancing past the hedges.

Byleth opened his mouth to answer when he was cut off by a gasp from Rhea. “...Monica?”

“That’s why I recognized her!” Linhardt exclaimed. “Wasn’t she a second-year in our house last year?”

“I’m so sorry I was gone for so long,” Edelgard’s voice rang out as she rounded the corner into the courtyard. “Finding a healer capable of helping Professor Manuela took longer than expected, but in good news, they said she should make a full recovery.”

“Speaking of healers, shouldn’t you take that girl to them, By?” Jeralt asked, pointing to the redhead being carried by his son.

Edelgard followed Jeralt’s gaze, starting with surprise. “Is that...Monica?”

“It does appear so, yes,” Rhea said with a frown. “Jeralt, could you help me take her to the infirmary? I’m sure the professors would like to talk with their students for a moment before they enjoy some well-deserved rest.”

“Of course,” Jeralt said, giving a slight sigh. Byleth smirked at his father as he handed off the student, receiving a glare in response.

After the knights filed out of the courtyard to go to their morning posts, the house leaders turned back to the group. Dimitri crossed his arms. “What in the goddess’ name happened once we left?”

“Yeah, you all don’t look or smell great,” Claude said with a laugh. “Especially you, Hilda. I’m not sure blood red is your color.”

Hilda glowered at her friend. “Guess we can find out when I’m wearing yours.”

Byleth made an odd choking noise, covering his mouth with his hand and looking away. Aloysia had her lips pursed but after a moment of trying to hold her breath, she began to giggle. At that, Byleth was unable to hold back his own laughter.

The students stared at them unblinking, afraid to shatter the moment. As the twins’ laughter began to fade, Byleth realized the students were watching them oddly. “Is something the matter?”

“Are those...smiles?” Edelgard asked with a smile of her own. “You look...happy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the two of you like this before.”

Dimitri appeared almost awestruck, mouth hanging open. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen your faces like that.”

There was a moment where Aloysia raised an amused eyebrow at her house leader before he quickly backtracked with, “I apologize. I’ve come dangerously close to teasing you. But I truly have never seen either of you look so happy before.”

Claude slapped the prince’s back with a laugh. “It’s okay. I was beginning to wonder if they were even human!”

Aloysia turned her pointed eyebrow on him, but he only winked in response. The twins rolled their eyes at him.

“Professors, should we go to the dining hall? I could help prepare breakfast,” Dedue said, just before his stomach let out a deep growl. 

Aloysia laughed again. “Of course, Dedue. You could have simply said you were hungry. I’m sure everyone is. Then, all of you are going back to sleep. Class is canceled for the day.”

Sylvain whooped. “I’m so excited to get in a whole day of rest! We’ve been nonstop all week!”

On that note, the group made their way toward the dining hall, chatting and laughing. Over the noise, the twins heard Mercedes ask, “Did anyone think the Death Knight seemed...familiar?”

* * *

Byleth and Aloysia looked at one another as they stood in front of Seteth’s office door. Aloysia gave her brother an exasperated look. _ Civil, please? _

_ I was perfectly civil the last time we spoke_, Byleth replied. _ As a worried older brother, I could relate. _

_ Older? A whole 13 minutes? You’re ancient compared to me, _ Aloysia groused. Sothis cackled in the background, falling against the arm of her throne.

Ignoring Byleth glaring at her, Aloysia knocked. There was a faint “Enter” heard before she pushed open the door.

“You asked to see us?”

Seteth stood up from his desk, which looked pristine despite the large piles of papers he had clearly been working on. He walked around to the front of it, standing just in front of the twins before bending into a deep bow. When he stood up again, he was smiling brightly at them. “Professors, please allow me to express my eternal gratitude. Flayn is safe and sound, and I have you and your students to thank for that. I am truly indebted to you both.”

The twins couldn’t help but smile in response to his own happiness. “We are simply glad she is safe,” Aloysia said.

“Indeed,” Seteth said, dropping his head so that his hair covered his eyes. His voice shook as he continued, “I...I, too, am overjoyed.”

“Aww. It is easy to see how deeply he cares for his sister,” Sothis said, leaning her head on her hands with a smile. “I’m also glad to know she is safe. You two did very well.”

“I must admit...I have thought on this for the past few days, but I cannot fathom the enemy’s motive,” Byleth said. “Why was she taken in the first place? Was it due to your status in the church?”

Seteth sighed, his face dropping back into its usual neutral expression. “While we know the enemy now, being Jeritza and this mysterious Flame Emperor, we cannot know their entire plan. However, I do have an idea...I believe they may have been after her blood.”

After taking in the twins’ confused looks, he continued, “The blood Flayn has is extremely rare and extraordinarily dangerous.”

The man sighed again and crossed his arms. “If enemies who know of her blood have appeared, we will need to leave and go into hiding.”

“Brother!” a voice exclaimed from the doorway. The twins turned around to see Flayn striding in, head held high. “Please, wait.”

“Flayn?! You should be resting!” Seteth blurted out. He patted the girl’s head and shoulders as if to reassure himself she was still there. Flayn batted his hands away with a huff.

“I do not like the path of your thoughts, Brother. I do not wish to live in a lonely place where I never see anyone. Not again,” the girl asserted, hands clenched tight together.

Seteth set a hand on her shoulder. “If we stay here, they may target you again! Wouldn’t it be better for us to live in peace?”

Aloysia and Byleth began to feel slightly out of place as Flayn continued their debate with, “Even if we found a new, secret location, the enemy could still find us. I believe it would be safest to stay here. Here we are surrounded by knights and professors who are capable of keeping me protected.”

“I see your point, I really do...but…” Seteth’s eyes closed tight, his logic and emotions warring.

Flayn covered his hand on her shoulder with her own. “What if I were to learn from the professors? If I hone my own skills, I would also be better suited to protect myself.”

She looked at the twins expectantly. Byleth glanced at his sister, who gave a quick nod, before he said, “We certainly have no objections if you wish to learn from us.”

“Really?” Flayn cried out happily. “I am so very pleased to hear that.”

With his sister bouncing next to him, Seteth sighed. “I am afraid you all have a good point. Though I may have judged you both harshly in the past, I wish to apologize for that now.” Byleth raised an eyebrow.

“This incident has proven to me that you are indeed trusted allies, so what say you both?” the man asked, looking between the two. “Can I entrust you with Flayn’s safety?”

“Of course,” Aloysia said, giving the girl a smile. “But how do you mean both of us? She can only be in one class, correct?”

Flayn gave her a surprised look. “I most certainly could not choose between the two of you! Additionally, I would like to know all of the students around my age. I’ve not had much chance to make friends before now, but I would certainly enjoy doing so now.”

Seteth smiled at her. “It will help that you favor the lance alongside your magic. Perhaps Professor Byleth can work on your close combat skills while Professors Aloysia and Manuela can expand your knowledge of the two magics.”

Flayn gave a slight squeal of delight. “That is a wonderful idea! It is late, but perhaps in the morning we can lay out a schedule for me to follow?”

“I think we can manage that,” Aloysia smirked. “Shall we meet the two of you back here or somewhere else?”

“Here would be fine,” Seteth said, returning to his desk. “Considering Professor Manuela’s condition, it would likely be best if we do not stray too far from the infirmary.”

At the twins’ nods, Flayn smiled, running up to hug them both. “I cannot wait to join you! Thank you so very much!”

It took hardly any time at all for the twins to get past their shock, giving their new student a tight hug back. When she pulled back, Seteth cleared his throat. The smile on his face kept his words from being stern. “Now, Flayn, will you rest, please?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long this chapter took to publish! I (paradox) think we have previously mentioned that this story was outlined in advance. Well, some of the characters, and some plot elements, have decided to behave differently than planned, so we’ve had to change the outline accordingly. I (fiery) can assure you, even on the days we’re not writing, we’re talking through details and upcoming ideas, so we can give you the best fic we can!
> 
> Next up: The students and professors finally get some much-needed rest! There are fish! Also, people actually celebrate birthdays? Sounds fake, but okay.


End file.
